WEST VIRGINIA 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



VOLUME FIVE 




Forestry and Wood Industries 

BY 

A. B. BROOKS 

I 



I. C. WHITE, State Geologist 

lonograp/i, 



THE ACME PUBLISHING COMP 
PRINTERS AND BINDERS 
MORGANTOWN 



MAR 20 iyl3 



GEOLOGICAL SURVEY COMMISSION. 

WILLIAM B. GLASSCOCK President 

GOVERNOR OF WEST VIRGINIA. 

E. L. LONG Vice President 

TREASURER OF WEST VIRGINIA. 

ARCHIBALD MOORE Secretary 

PRESIDENT OP STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 

D. B. PURINTON Treasurer 

PRESIDENT OF WEST VmCINIA" iSlVERSITY. 



JAMES H. STEWART Executive Officer 

DIRECTOR STATE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



SCIENTIFIC STAFF. 

L C. WHITE State Geologist 

SUPERINTENDENT OF THE SURVEY. 

RAY V. HENNEN Assistant Geologist 

C. E. KREBS , Assistant Geologist 

D. B. REGER Temporary Field Assistant 

A. B. BROOKS Forester 

B. H. HITE Chief Chemist 

J. B. KRAK Assistant Chemist 

EARL M. HENNEN Clnef Clerk 

J. L. WILLIAMS Stenographer 



LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 



To His Excellency, Hon. William E. Glasscock, Governor of 
West Virginia, and President of the State Geological Survey 
Commission : 

Sir : I have the honor to transmit herewith Volume V of the 
general series of Survey publications. This volume on Forestry 
and Wood Industries of the State has been prepared by Mr. A. 
B. Brooks, a practical woodsman who has given special attention 
to Forestry during his training at the State University. Mr. 
Brooks is at home in the forests, and knows the trees and their 
habits from long and intimate acquaintance. No subject except 
the mineral fuels is of equal importance to the future of our 
State. Every year the supply of available timber grows less. The 
accompanying map will show how small is the area of Virgin 
Forests yet remaining in our State, a mere fragment of what 
it was even within the recollection of the writer. Vast areas of 
our mountain regions unfitted for agriculture could be re- 
forested at great profit to the State, if the matter were taken 
up systematically under proper forestry laws which minimize 
fires and encourage tree planting. Whether the State should 
acquire these cut-over and unproductive lands as is being done 
in our sister states of Pennsylvania and New York, and proceed 
to reforest the same, or whether such encouragement should 
be given to the private owners in the shape of reduced or nom- 
inal taxation as would encourage them to undertake systematic 
reforestation are questions that should engage the serious at- 
tention of our statesmen. At the present rate of exhaustion, 
15 to 20 years will practically see the end of our virgin forests, 
and with annual forest fires sweeping through the cut-over 
areas, it will be a century or more before nature unassisted can 
reforest these areas and produce another crop of merchantable 
timber. The price of lumber to all the citizens of West Vir- 
ginia must greatly advance with the disappearance of the pres- 
ent virgin forests, so that the question of reproducing other 
forests to replace this vanishing heritage is one that affects 
financially every citizen of the State. 



LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 



Vll. 



Mr. Brooks has in these pages given a graphic account of 
the former timber wealth of the State, and its rapid disappear- 
ance though the combined attacks of fire, farmers, and saw 
mills, and has also given a summary of the forestry laws in our 
sister States showing how our neighboring commonwealths have 
attempted to deal with the question of future lumber supply, 
as well as with the all important question of protecting water 
sheds. The interesting story he has given shows for itself how 
well he has performed the allotted task. It is hoped that the 
perusal of this volume by the citizens of the State may lead to 
a more intelligent appreciation of the great potential value to 
all the people of a wise forest policy which shall lead to the 
rapid reforestation of millions of acres of our cut-over and 
burnt-over lands that are so happily adapted to forest growth, 
and but poorly fitted for agricultue. 

Very respectfully, 

I. C. WHITE, 
State Geologist. 

Morgantovm, W. Va. 
February 1st, 1911. 



CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Members of Geological Survey Coniinission Ill 

Members of Scientific Staff V 

Letter of Transmittal VI 

Table of Contents VIII 

List of Illustrations XII 

Author's Preface XV 

Chapter I. — Introduction 1-5 

Cho.pt er II. — West Virginia as a Timber Producing 

State 6-16 

Location and Area 6-7 

Topography 7-12 

The State as a Natural Forest Region 13-15 

The Original Forests 15-16 

Chapter III. — The Utility of Forests 17-47 

The Direct Value of Forests 17 

Wood a Necessity 17-19 

Forest Industries 19-21 

The Indirect Value of Forests 21 

The Forest in Its Eelation to Water Supply and 

Distribution 21-22 

The Forest's Influence Over Floods and Droughts. 22-23 

Water Resources 23-26 

West Virginia's River Commerce 26-30 

Irrigation 30-31 

Municipal Water Supply 31-35 

Removal of Soil Through Deforestation 35 

" The Forest in Its Relation to Health 36-37 

Recreation 37 

Hunting and Fishing 38-40 

The Forest in Its Relation to Climate 40-41 

The Forest in Its Relation to Animal Life 41-44 

The Forest in Its Relation to the Character of the 

People 44-47 

Chapter IV. — The Destructive Agents of Forests 48-97 



CONTENTS. ix. 

Clearings 49-51 

Forest Fires 51-54 

Forest Fire Statistics 54-55 

, Prevention and Control of Forest Fires 55-57 

The Lumber Industry 57 

Types of Saw Mills 57 

Progress of the Lumber Industry 58-66 

Diseases of Forest Trees and Wood-destroying Fungi 66 

Extent and General Results of Disease 66-67 

Some Dangers Surrounding Trees Enumerated . . . 67-68 

Protective Structure of Trees 68-69 

The Decay of Dead Wood 69 

Conditions That Favor Decay 69 

Conditions That Discourage Decay 70-71 

Conditions and Organisms That Induce Diseases of 

Trees and Decay of Wood 71-72 

Water in Its Relation to Tree Diseases 72 

Plant Food Supply in Its Relation to Tree Diseases 72-73 

Relation of Excessive Cold to Tree Diseases 73 

Diseases Induced by Storms 73-74 

Effects of Insufficient Light 74 

Injuries Due to Smoke and Gas 74 

* Effects of the Wounding of Trees by Mammals . . . 74-75 

Injuries by Forest Fires 75 

Injuries by Insects 75 

Injuries by Fungi 75 

Fungi and Their Methods of Work 75-77 

Fungi That Injure the Leaves of Trees 77-78 

Fungi That Injure Bark 78-79 

■ Fungi That Injure Roots 79 

Fungi That Injure the Wood of Living Trees . . . 79-80 

Fungi That Injure Dead Wood 80-81 

Studies of Fungi in West Virginia 81 

List of Fungi Destructive to Trees and Wood 82-86 

Injuries to Trees by the Mistletoe 86-87 

Insects That Injure Forests and Forest Products . . 87 

Nature and Extent of Injury 88-89 

Insects That Attack the Bark of Living Trees 89-91 



X. 



CONTENTS. 



Insects That Injure the Wood of Living and Dead 



Trees 91-92 

Miscellaneous Injuries to Forest Products 93 

Insects That Feed on the Foliage of Trees 93-94 

Insects That Injure Nuts 94 

How Losses Can be Prevented 94-97 

Chapter V. — Present Forest Conditions 98-104 

Virgin Forest 98-99 

Distribution of Forests in West Virginia 100 

Cut-over Forest 101-102 

Farmers' Woodlots 102 

Burnt Areas 102-104 

Planting 104 

Chapter VI . — Conditions hy Counties 105-321 



Containing a Discussion of the Past and Present 
Forest Conditions, the Lumber Industry, etc. in 
the 55 Counties of West Virginia, chiefly under 
the following heads: 

Location and Area, 

Topography. 

Original Forest Conditions. 

The Lumber Industry. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 



Chapter VII.-— Forestry in The States 322-366 

Alabama 323-325 

California 325-326 

Connecticut 326-328 

Delaware 328-329 

Indiana 329-331 

Kansas 331-334 

Kentucky 334 

Maine 334-335 

Maryland 335-337. 

Michigan 337-339 

New Hampshire 339-341 

New Jersey 341-344 

New York 344-347 

North Carolina 347-350 

Ohio 350-353 



CONTENTS. xi. 

Pennsylvania 353-356 

Vermont 356-358 

Washington 358-360 

West Virginia 360-362 

Wisconsin 362-364 

List of State Forestry Boards 364-365 

List of State Forest Officers 365-366 



Chapter VIII.—The Native Trees of West Virginia. . . . 367-422 
Giving the General and Local Distribution of 94 
species of Native Trees, with mention of Wood 



Characteristics and chief Uses. 

List of Native Shrubs and Shrubby Vines 422-427 

Additional Trees Listed in "Flora of West 

Virginia." 427-428 

Additional Shrubs Listed in "Flora of West 

Virginia." 428-429 

Chapter IX. — Wood Manufacturing Industries 430-461 

Kinds and Quantity of Wood Manufactured 431 

Industries 431 

Interior and Exterior Finish and Fixtures 431-432 

Furniture 432-433 

Vehicles and Vehicle Stock ." 433 

Handles 434 

Mine and Log Cars 434 

Boxes, Crates and Cooperage 435 

Miscellaneous 435-436 

List of Wood Manufacturing Establishments .... 437-442 

List of Operating Saw Mills 443-461 

Chapter X. — Becommendations 462-464 

Forestry Laws Recommended 462-463 

Suggestions to Private Land Owners 463-464 

Index 465 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Map of "West Virginia showing Virgin and Cut-over Forest Areas. 
(In envelope accompanying Report.) 

PAGE 



Native Balsam Fir Tree G-rowing in Canaan Valley, Tucker 

County Frontispiece. 

Scene on the Little Biackwater River 4 

Characteristic View in West Virginia Spruce Belt, Webster 

County 12 

Softwood Band Saw Mill of Babcock Lumber & Boom Com- 
pany at Davis, Tucker County 20 

Logs Drifting on the Monongahela River at Morgantown . . 28 
Camp of Collecting Party at Cranberry Glades, Pocahontas 

County 36 

Nest of Veery, Found on Moss-covered Log spanning Big 

Run, Pendleton County 44 

Fire-killed Timber on Mountain Slope, near Head of Buck- 

hannon River 52 

Logs Cut on Right-of-way for Lumber Railroad 60 

Grade for a Lumber Railroad near Head of Cranberry River 68 
Plant of Warn Lumber Company, near Seebert, Pocahontas 

County 76 

Balsam Firs killed by Recent Forest Fires, Tucker County 84 

White Pine Killed in 1892 by Southern Bark Beetles , 92 

Destruction of Vegetation and Soil by Fires Following Lum- 
ber Operations, near Davis, Tucker County 100 

An Open Woodlot in Berkeley County 108 

Locust Grove in the Shenandoah Valley, near Martinsburg. 116 
Spruce Trees Growing on Border of Burnt Lands on Spruce 

Mountain 124 

Log Rafts on Elk River, near Charleston 132 



ILLUSTRATIONS. xiii. 

Hauling Lumber Manufactured on Portable Saw Mills .... 1 40 
Luxuriant Growth of Vegetation on Yew Llountains, Green- 
brier County 148 

Stacking Tan-bark at Romney, Hampsbire County 156 

A Shaded Limestone Road in the Shenandoah Valley, Jeffer- 
son County 164 

Chimney Rock Overlooking Harpers Ferry, at Base of Blue 

Ridge Mountains 172 

Panoramic View of Holden^ Logan County 180 

Virgin Spruce Forest near Head of North Fork of Cherry 

River 188 

Second-growth Chestnuts, Monongalia County 196 

Natural Reproduction of Yellow Poplar in Cut-over Forest, 

Monongalia County 204 

Electric Waterpower Plant on Potomac River, Morgan 

County 212 

Virgin Forest of Sugar Maples, Nicholas County 220 

Summit of Spruce Knob, Pendleton County 228 

Viev/ in the Little Levels of Pocahontas County 236 

Lichen Beds in Cranberry Glades 244 

Scene on the Great Kanawha River, near Buffalo, Putnam 

County 252 

Natural Blue Grass Sod on Turkey Bone IMountain, Ran- 

^ dolph County 260 

Natural Bed of Painted Trilliums on Big Sugar Creek, Ran- 
dolph County 268 

Old-fashioned Waterpower ]\Iill, Summers County 276 

Clump of Native Spruces in Field of Blue Grass, Canaan 

Valley 284 

Falls of the Blackw^ater, near Davis 292 

Open Deciduous "Woods, Upshur County 300 

View on the Cranberry River, Webster County 308 

Pastured Woodlot in Monongalia County 316 

View Along Mountain Stream, Tucker County 324 

View in Big Glade, head of Cranberry River 332 

Spruce Bark Camp in Forest near head of Cranberry River 340 
Waterfall Along the Western Maryland Railroad, near 

Douglas, Tucker County 348 

Balsam Firs on Margin of McDonald Glade 356 



xiv. 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Natural Blue Grass Sod on Cranberry Mountain, Pocahon- 
tas County 364 

Red Spruce Along Railroad of Wyoming Lumber Company, 

Randolph County 372 

Typical View in the Open Part of Cranberry Glades 380 

Typical Chestnut Oaks, Monongalia County 388 

Typical White Elm Tree Developed Without Crowding, Jef- 
ferson County 396 

Potomac River Below Harpers Ferry 404 

Stunted Red Spruce Growth, near Summit of Spruce Knob 412 
Undisturbed Woods on a Tributary of the Blackwater River 420 

Pulp Mill at Davis, Tucker Conuty 428 

Pulp Wood at Davis, Tucker County 436 

Tannery of J. G. Hoffman & Son's Company at Gormania, 

Grant County 444 

Woodland Jumping Mouse 452 

Map Showing Distribution of Red Spruce in West Virginia 374 



AUTHOR' S PREFACE. 



The forestry policies of the Government or of any of the 
states have not come into existence suddenly, but have been de- 
veloped slowly from small beginnings. The present highly 
specialized and effective service of the forestry organizations of 
the Federal and certain state governments has usually been pre- 
ceded by fundamental investigations and by work which was 
more general in its scope. 

The present volume on forestry is essentially preliminary. 
It is in no sense a report of completed work. On the contrary, 
it is intended to call attention to a long-neglected duty which 
the citizens of West Virginia owe to themselves and their pos- 
terity — the protection and wise utilization and improvement of 
the remnants of our forest lands. Much of that which is herein 
suggested is yet to be done. The timber producing capacity of 
our forests is pointed out in order to encourage owners to work 
for maximum yields; their utility is discussed for the purpose 
of stimulating a new desire which has taken hold of the people 
to prevent the total destruction of one of our most useful and 
indispensable natural possessions. Likewise, the nature and ex- 
tent of destruction wrought by the various enemies of trees and 
wood are mentioned that they may be better understood and 
more surely controlled. 

The chapters devoted to a discussion of the present condition 
of woodland in the State as a whole and that of each separate 
county are intended to supply such general information as will 
lead to definite efforts toward improvement, and to constitute an 
essential though imperfect basis for future work in detail. The 
map which accompanies this report represents graphically the 
locaton and extent of wooded areas. 

The chapter on forestry in other states is included as a basis 
for comparison of methods employed and as a means of con- 
trasting the work accomplished in different parts of the country. 

It is hoped that the chapter containing a list of the native 
trees and shrubs of the State may be of use from a commercial 
standpoint, and that it may tend to induce some persons to make 
such a study of our exceedingly interesting flora as will add 



xvi. 



AUTHOR PREFACE. 



greatly to tlie present imperfect knowledge of the occurrence and 
distribution of various forms of plant life. 

The recommendations given at the end of the volume are 
purposely made brief to emphasize the importance of taking de- 
finite advanced steps ; and it is earnestly desired that such meas- 
ures as will meet present urgent demands may be adopted with- 
out undue delay. 

The information given herein relative to conditions in West 
Virginia was largely obtained in the field during the summer, 
fall, and winter of 1910. The difficulty experienced ia gathering 
accurate data over so wide a field was very great ; and time would 
not permit the verification of considerable second-hand informa- 
tion. For this reason, in justice to himself, the writer must dis- 
claim responsibility in part for slight errors which doubtless 
occur in several instances. 

Numerous persons have freely assisted in the preparation of 
this report. 

Lumbermen, timber cruisers, surveyors, and many others, 
contributed information regarding the location and character of 
timber-lands, the condition of original forests, history of the lum- 
ber industry, etc. ^ The names of many of these are given in the 
body of the volume. 

The illustrations herein are reproduced from photographs 
made by Fred E. Brooks, Associate Entomologist of the West 
Virginia Experiment Station, except such as are otherwise 
credited. 

That part of Chapter Four which relates to fungi was read 
by Dr. John L. Sheldon, Professor of Botany and Bacteriology 
at the West Virginia University, and his private collection was 
used in preparing the list of destructive fungi. 

During the collection and preparation of data for this re- 
port frequent and valuable suggestions were furnished by Dr. I. 
C. White, State Geologist. 

The writer takes pleasure in acknowledging his indebtedness 
to all who have aided him in any way in the preparation of this 
volume. 

A. B. BROOKS, 

Forester. 

i\Iorgantown, West Virginia, February 1, 1911. 



CHAPTER 1. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The object of forestry is to discover and apply the methods 
according to which forests are most profitably managed. 
The principles of this science bear somewhat the same 
relation to the production of crops of trees that those of agri- 
culture and horticulture bear to the growing of crops of grains 
and fruits; but its applications are broader. Forests not only 
produce wood for the building of houses, and ships, and cars, 
and for the manufacture of thousands of useful and indispen- 
sible wooden articles — they do more than this. They prevent 
the washing of soils from cultivated lands^ where they are 
needed, into rivers and harbors where they hinder navigation; 
they hold the water of rains and melting snows and give it out 
gradually to the springs that regulate the flow of creeks and 
rivers; they furnish a place for recreation to hunters^ to fish- 
ermen, to collectors, to students, and to thousands of persons 
who enter them in search of a restful influence which can be 
found in no other part of nature; they shelter and furnish 
homes for multitudes of beneficial mammals and birds ; and 
they act as protectors from winds, as modifiers of climates, and 
as beautifiers of landscapes. 

Forestry is not a new science. It was practiced in Switzer- 
land and Germany and other European countries centuries 
before it was thought of in America. Some of the countries of 
Asia and Europe disregarded it. They did not prevent the 
destruction of their forests when they had the opportunity. 
When their forests were gone the soil became impoverished and 
the streams dried up. Then large areas had to be abandoned 
by every inhabitant, for the land no longer produced any food. 
Syria, China, Austria, Sicily, Denmark, France, and many 
other countries have suffered from such neglect. Some of these 
1 



2 



INTRODUCTION. 



have spent many millions of dollars in restoring tlieir forests: 
others have lost territory that they can never regain. History 
has shown us that the countries which protect and utilize their 
forests become powerful and influential and prosperous: that 
those which destroy them become weak and degenerate. 

The need of preserving the forests of this country was not 
apparent to many persons 200 years ago. The j^ionger settlers 
of our Eastern states built their homes in what thev considered 
an almost boundless wilderness. Trees were regarded by them, 
naturally, as obstacles in the way of improvement, for they 
were removed with great labor and could not be sold or given 
away. The openings first made were insignificant in compari- 
son with the vast woodlands which surrounded them. But this 
was not long the case. As the population increased and settle- 
ments were extended from year to year, the small cornfields 
were widened into extensive farms ; fires began to take their 
toll from the forests in the region of settlements : and the occu- 
pation of lumbering began. In the course of time the various 
agents of destruction, workiiig together, produced a serious con- 
dition in the forests. The condition was not readily observed 
becaus^^e the people had not been trained to expect trouble from 
such a source. The conception that the forest was boundless and 
inexhaustible had been transmitted from one generation to an- 
other until it had become fixed in the minds of the inhabitants 
as a firm belief. With this inherited handicap, therefore, the 
present generations were slow in believing even what reason 
taught them was true. When the Government and the states 
took up the work of forest conservation it was not approved 
by all classes of people. The reform, necessary for protection 
involved a complete change from practices which had been fol- 
lowed during a long period of years in which habits had been 
formed and customs established. These had to be overcome. It 
became necessary to agitate the question and to carry on a cam- 
paign of education. The new measures proposed were taken 
up and published and repeated by the press and from the 
platform until they became familiar to all concerned and often 
until the reformers themselves were looked upon as over- 
zealous fanatics. Men were appealed to through every channel 
of approach : — some through their business capacity, others 



WEST VIRGIXIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



'J 



through their sense of honor and obligation, and others through 
their esthetic tastes. They were told that "The most impera- 
tive duty of America is to save the forests;" that "It is un- 
pardonable for the nation or the states to permit any further 
cutting of timber save in accordance with a system which will 
provide that the next generation shall see the timber increased 
instead of diminished:'" that "The most terrible condition now 
confronting our people is the failure to protect the great for- 
est industries of our country:*" that ""A timber famine is one 
of the inevitable events of the near future;"' and thousands of 
similar truths, repeated by men of highest position and in- 
fluence. 

There were some regions where conditions helped the 
people to see their danger and to believe the principles that 
were being advocated many years ago. so that it vras possible for 
the (M3vernment and several of the states to begin and carry 
on thi^ir important work without disapproval. As one success 
after another has been achieved all have been made to see that 
forestry is no longer in its experimental stage under any con- 
dition : and that the results of intelligent and deteimined effort 
for the betterment of forest conditions are no longer proble- 
matic. The Forest Service is now regarded as one of the most 
helpful branches of the Department of Agriculture. Its work 
is important in nearly all sections of the Ignited States. 
The (Tovernment Forests, scattered from ]\Iinnesota to Cali- 
fornia and containing 190 million acres or more, are adjninis- 
tered by the Forest Service officials. It co-operates with states 
in forest investigations : it undertakes the study and solution 
of forestry problems which are beyond the power of individ- 
uals to handle without assistance : and it prepares and dis- 
tributes a great A-ohmie of literature relating to every phase of 
forestry. 

The actual achievement of objects by the Government and 
by states has given weight to all that has been said, and has 
hurried a widespread awakening. What the states are doing is 
told in Chapter YII of this report. It is sufficient to say that 
the states which have spent the largest sums and have laid the 
most solid foundations for their forest policies are the ones 
which have succeeded; and that there is not now the slightest 



4 



INTRODUCTION. 



reason for offering an apology of any sort for the expenditure 
of enormous sums of money for the improvement of forest con- 
ditions, nor for the slight expenditure necessary in taking the 
important initial steps in that direction. On the contrary, 
those states which have not acted when they have known the 
truth have not measured up to their obligations. 

In calling attention to the condition of West Virginia 
forests and to the necessity for a more economical use of them, 
we bring before the farmerp,, the manufacturers, the lumbermen, 
before business men, professional men, capitalists, laborers, and 
men of every trade and calling, a question in which they are 
all alike interested. In no state are the forests greater timber 
producers, and in no state do they occupy a more important 
position than in "West Virginia. The non-agricultural lands 
lie on our mountains at the heads of the streams. The removal 
of forests from these lands would affect not only the citizens of 
this state but all who are influenced in any way by the flow of 
the Ohio river. The approximate figures given below will serve 
to show the situation briefly. 

There once existed within the present limits of West Vir- 
ginia an almost unbroken forest covering more than 15^ 
million acres and containing 150 billion feet of timber. During 
the t:me which has elapsed, from the clearing of the first acre 
by civilized men to the present, the virgin forest area has been 
reduced to one-tenth its original size or to 1^^ million acres. 
In addition to this area there are extensive cut-over forests 
aggregating about 3 million acres; and 5 million acres of far- 
mers' woodlots. The present forests, then, cover 60 per cent 
of the state and contain not less than 25 billion feet of standing 
timber. There are 83 mammoth band saw mills and about 900 
portable saw mills operating within the state. These have a 
combined annual capacity of approximately !]/> billion feet. 
Should all of them continue to operate as at present they woiild 
cut the timber of the state in a little over 16 years. 

There are many reasons why the situation is not as hope- 
less as the figures above may suggest. The greatest of these 
reasons is found in the attitude of public officials, law-makers 
and common people whose knowledge of the value of the forests 



SCENE ON THE LITTLE BLACKWATER RIVER. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



5 



and whose admiration of their beauty will not suffer them to 
be destroyed completely. Forest land owners are making a 
greater effort than ever before to protect their property from 
fire; and the Legislature has enacted a law to help them in the 
endeavor. Lumbermen, in some cases, are making extensive plan- 
tations in their cut-over forests; and others are ready to fol- 
low their example when they see that the danger from fire is 
lessened and are encouraged by more favorable laws of taxa- 
tion. Farmers in many sections are making inquiries concern- 
ing the management of their woodlots, and are everywhere de- 
ploring useless waste of timber and are calling for better care 
of our forests. 



CHAPTER 11. 

WEST VIRGINIA AS A TIMBER PRODUC- 
ING STATE. 



Location and Area. 

West Virginia was separated from Virginia during the Civil 
war and was admitted to the Union as a state on June 20, 1863. 
As originally constituted it was divided into 48 counties. Berk- 
eley and Jefferson came in after a period of litigation in 1866. 
Five counties — ^Grant, Mineral, Lincoln, Summers^ and Mingo — 
were organized between 1866 and 1895. 

The boundaries of the state are extremely irregular. Begin- 
ning at a point on the Potomac river a short distance below 
Harpers Ferry the line follows the south bank of the Potomac 
and its North Branch to the Fairfax Stone set at the head of the 
stream : thence almost due north to the Mason and Dixon Line ; 
thence west with this line to the southwest corner of Pennsyl- 
vania ; thence north to low water mark on the northwest bank of 
the Ohio river. From here the line turns to the southwest and 
follows the right bank of Ohio river for 256 miles to the mouth 
of Big Sandy river; thence up the Big Sandy and its Tug Fork 
to the western end of McDowell county, a short distance above 
the northeast corner of Kentucky: thence with the watershed 
separating the Tug and Levisa Forks of Big Sandy to the south- 
ernmost point of the state ; thence it turns to the east and north- 
east, crosses the head of Dry Fork of Tug river, and foUows 
Horsepen creek and Big Stone ridge to the Mercer line ; thence 
southeast across the Bluestone basin to the crest of East River 
mountain ; thence with this mountain and across New 
river to the crest of Peters mountain. Here the line 
turns northeast and follows the crests of Peters and 
Potts mountains and the main ridge of the AUeghanies to the 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 7 

southwestern corner of Pendleton county; thence it turns soulh- 
east across the Potomac basin to the crest of Shenandoah moun- 
tain, which it follows for some distance northeastward; thence 
southeast to the crest of North mountain; thence with this 
mountain and its foothills to the Morgan county Jine ; thenc; by 
a straight line running southeast across Back creek, Opeqiioo 
creek, and the Shenandoah river, to the crest of Blue Ridge 
mountains; thence with this mountain crest to the beginning. 
The line thus described is about 1,170 miles in length. 

The state is situated between 37 degrees 6 minutes and 40 
degrees 38 minutes north latitude, and between 40 minutes and 
5 degrees 35 minutes longitude west from Washington. Ohio 
and Pennsylvania bound it on the north, Pennsylvania, Mary- 
land, and Virginia on the east, Virginia and Kentucky on the 
south, and Kentucky and Ohio on the west. 

The area of West Virginia is usually given at 24,715 square 
miles. The area, as determined by the original calculations of 
the United States Geological Survey,— including 135 square 
miles of water surface — ^is 24,780 square miles. Later and more 
careful calculations of the areas of several of the counties have 
reduced these figures to 24,643 square miles, or 15,771,520 
acres. Exact figures will not be obtainable until the re-survey 
of the state has been completed. 

The greatest air line distance across the state in any direc- 
tion is 274 miles from Harpers Perry to Kenova. The distance 
from the northern extremity of Hancock couutv to the most 
southern point in the state is 245 miles. 

Topography. 

As the topography of each separate county is described in 
another part of this report, it will be necessary here to describe 
, that of the state as a whole, only in a general way and to add 
.a few interesting facts regarding elevations, etc. 

The greater part of West Virginia lies in tlie Ohio river 
drainage basin between the Alleghany mountains on the east 
and the Ohio river on the west. The average elevation of the 
crest line of the mountains is about 4,000 feet: that of the 
river is about 600 feet. This large, westward-sloping area is 
a northeast continuation of the Cumberland plateau, or the 



8 



WEST VIRGINIA AS A TIMBER PRODUCING STATE, 



high table-land from which rise the Cumberland mountains. 
In all places in West Virginia it is deeply dissected and its 
resemblance to a plateau can be recognized only by obtaining a 
broad view from some elevated ground. The portion of the 
state lying east of the Alleghany Front descends more rapidly 
with the Potomac basin to the valley of the Shenandoah. On 
both sides of the Alleghany crest — particularly on the east 
side — there is a succession of parallel mountain ridges which 
lessen in elevation tow^ard the east and west. We have, then, 
the plateau region sloping down more or less gradually from 
the top of the mountains to the Ohio river, and the more abrupt 
slope descending by broken parallel mountains to the lowlands 
of the eastern panhandle. This general view has given some 
authors authority to speak of the topographic features of the 
state as simple. The claim of other authors that it is complex 
will be generally accepted by those who have visited most sec- 
tions of the state. 

A clearer idea of the surface configuration can be ob- 
tained by dividing the state into three sections which may be 
called (1) the Ohio river section, (2) the mountain section, 
and (3) the Potomac section. 

The Ohio river section embraces about 30 of the hilly 
counties lying along and back from the Ohio river. It ranges 
in elevation from 500 feet at the mouth of Big Sandy river to 
1,500 feet, or more, on top of some of the high hills which lie 
nearest the mountains. The 1,000-foot contour line crosses the 
Dry Fork of Big Sandy river at the mouth of Crane creek, and 
the Tug Fork at the mouth of Dry Branch in McDowell county ; 
it crosses the Great Kanawha near Sewell station in Fayette 
county, the Gauley at Wood's Ferry, and the Elk at the Brax- 
ton-Webster line. The bed of the Little Kanawha river is below 
1,000 feet up to the mouth of Glady creek in the southern end 
of Lewis county. From this point the course of the 1,000-foot 
line is irregular up to the Preston county corner of Pennsyl- 
vania, whence it crosses Greene and Washington counties and 
re-enters the state 225 feet above the Monongahela river level 
in Monongalia county. It crosses the Cheat river at the 
mouth of Sandy creek in Preston county, the Tygarts Valley 



( 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 9 

6 miles above Grafton, and the West Fork at Weston. It is 
thus seen that a large percentage of the Ohio river section lies 
below 1,000 feet. The bottom lands are wide in most places 
along the 256 miles of the Ohio river, which borders this section 
on the west, and along the Great Kanawha up to a point some 
distance above Charleston. The bottoms are narrower along the 
Little Kanawha, the Monongahela, the Big Sandy, the Guyan- 
dot, the Elk, and so on, somewhat in proportion to the size of 
the stream. 

''If we begin in the eastern part of Monongalia county at 
1,500 feet and trace a level line southward it will pass a little 
east of Grafton, east of Philippi, east of Buckhannon, along 
the Braxton-Webster line, west of Fayetteville, and east of 
Oceana, to the most eastern point of Kentucky." The line here 
described may be said to mark the beginning of the mountain 
section or the place where the hilly region ends and where the 
mountain region of the state begins; though the one passes 
almost imperceptibly into the other. Along this line — some- 
times called a "line of rapids" — are to be found the "roughs" 
of the Guyandot in Wyoming county, the falls of Great Kana 
wha in Fayette county, Valley Falls in Taylor county, and 
numerous other falls and rapids of other streams. As a rule 
the portions of the streams above this line are too rapid to 
admit of navigation, and in many of them even the successful 
rafting of logs is impossible. The upward slope of the surface 
from the 1,500-foot level is with the tops of thousands of moun- 
tains arranged irregularly and deeply carved throughout the 
great Back Alleghany region, and with the long, undulating 
crests of the ridges which begin with Flat Top mountain and 
Laurel ridge and end at the elevated crest of the AUeghanies. 
Eastward from this crest there is greater uniformity, the 
mountains trending northeast and southwest with considerable 
regularity and lessening in elevation with each successi\ e ridge. 
The 1,500-foot level, which may be taken as the eastern line of 
the mountain section, is again reached in Grant county. The 
mountain section, as here described, includes the counties of 
Preston, Tucker, Pendleton, Randolph, Webster, Pocahontas. 
Greenbrier, Monroe, Summers, Mercer, and McDowell, with 
parts of Wyoming, Raleigh^ Fayette, Nicholas, Upshur, Barbour. 



10 WEST VIRGINIA AS A TIMBER PRODUCING STATE. 

Taylor, Monongalia, Grant and Mineral counties. This section 
reaches an elevation of 4,860 feet on the summit of Spruce 
Knob in Pendleton county. 

The Potomac section includes the counties of Jefferson, 
Berkeley, Morgan, Hampshire, Hardy, and parts of Grant and 
Mineral. Portions of the 4 western counties of this group, 
especially, are prominently ridged, but the valleys are v^ide and 
the whole region has a climate and an appearance differing 
from the Trans- Alleghany highlands and from the cold, m.oun- 
tainous regions of Grant and Pendleton. The 1,000-foot level 
extends up the North Branch of Potomac to Bloomingtcn above 
Piedmont and up the South Branch to the Forks of the river 
above Petersburg in Grant county. On the extreme east this 
level is near the summit of the Blue Ridge mountains. 

• The highest mountain in the state is Spruce knob in Pen- 
dleton county, 4,860 feet above tide; the lowest land is found 
on the Potomac river a short distance below Harpers Ferry, 
Jefferson county, 260 feet above tide. 

The highest county in the state is Pocahontas with an aver- 
age elevation of about 3,000 feet. 

Area in W. Va. from 500 to 1,000 ft. elevation, 7,763 sq. mi. 



" " " 1,000 to 1,500 6,000 " 

" ' 1,500 to 2,000 " 4,200 

" " " 2,000 to 3,000 5,280 " 

" " " 3,000 to 4,000 " 1,200 " 

" over 4,000 " 200 " 

The average elevations of the highest Appalachian states 
above tide are as follows : 

West Virginia 1,500 feet 

Pennsylvania 1,100 feet 

Vermont 1,000 feet 

New Hampshire 1.000 feet 

New York 900 feet 

Ohio . 850 feet 

Virginia 850 feet 



The drainage of that part of the state which lies east of the 
Alleghany mountains reaches the Atlantic ocean through the 
Potomac and James rivers. The chief tributaries of the Potomac, 
named in order up-stream from Harpers Ferry, are Shenandoah 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



11 



river. Opeqiion creek, Back creek, Cacapon river, Little Cacapon 
river, South Branch of Potomac river, Patterson creek, and New 
creek. The streams named all flow northeast in the valleys be- 
tween the Alleg'ham^ and Blue Ridge mountains. A small 
area in the eastern part of Monroe connty is drained by the head- 
waters of Dnnlap and Potts creeks, tributaries of the James 
river. 

The drainage of that part of the state on the west of the 
mountains reaches the Gulf of ^Mexico through the Ohio and 
the Mississippi. The largest tributaries of the Ohio — some of 
which are direct and others indirect — are Big Sandy river, 
Twelvepole creek, Guyandot river, Mud river, and the Great 
Kanawha, with its Pocatalico, Goal, Elk, Gauley, Greenbrier, 
New, and Bluestone river tributaries draining the southern 
part of the state. North of these there are Little Kanawha 
river, ]\Iiddle Island creek. Fishing creek, and Fish creek, all 
direct tributaries of the Ohio ; and the Monongahela, with its 
Cheat, West Fork, Tygarts Valley, and other tributaries flow- 
ing north to Pittsburg to form — with the Alleghany — the Ohio 
river. A line drawn from the eastern point of Tyler county 
to the southern point of Randolph and from there to the north- 
ern end of Pocahontas, separates the headwaters of the Cheat, 
the Tygarts Valley, the ^liddle Fork, the Buckhannon, the 
West Fork, and other northward-flowing streams from the 
Greenbrier, the Gauley, the Elk, the Little Kanawha, and other 
rivers which flow west and south. 

The rivers of the state, including the Ohio, the Great Kan- 
awha, the Big Sandy, the Little Kanawha, and the ]\Iononga- 
hela as the principal ones, are navigable for a distance in the 
aggregate of about 750 miles. 

There are no natural lakes or other bodies of still water of 
any considerable size, though there is evidence that several of 
these once existed at the places now occupied by our mountain 
glades. 

Pelov\' are the names of the 38 principal rivers of the state 
with the altitudes of their fountain heads or of the points where 
they enter the state, the altitudes of the points where they 
leave the state or empty into other streams, and the total fall 
of each. Those which are marked with a star (*) rise outside 
of West Virginia : 



12 WEST VIRGINIA AS A TIMBER PRODUCING STATE. 





Kises 


or 


Leaves 


Total , 


fall 


Name of Biver. 


crosses 


line 


or empties 


in W. 


Va. 


Big Coal (Marsh Fork) 


2,500 


ft. 




it. 


1,935 


ft. 


Big Sandy (Dry Fork)* 


1,600 


It. 


K AA 


-P4- 
It. 


1,100 


ft. 


Bircn 


ct r\r\ 

2,500 


ft. 


7 AA 


It. 


-1 OAA 

1,800 


J? J. 
ft. 


Blackwater 


d,700 


it. 


i, < UU 


It. 


A AAA 

2,000 


It. 


Bluestone^ 


Z,dOu 


it. 


1 OA A 

i,oyu 


it. 


A ■! A 

910 


it. 


Buckhannon 


O A AA 

c{,400 


it. 


1 O AA 

l,dUU 


it. 


O 1 AA 

2,100 


ft. 


Cacapon 


2,000 


it. 


A OA 

4ZU 


it. 


1,580 


ft. 


Cheat (Shavers Fk.) 


4,600 


ft. 


OAA 

oUU 


it. 


3,800 


ft. 


Cherry 


4,000 


ft. 


"I AAA 

i,you 


it. 


2,100 


ft. 


Cranberry 


A A AA 

4,400 


ft. 


O AAA 

2,UUU 


it. 


r» A AA 

2,400 


It. 


Dry Fork of Cheat 


3,900 


ft. 


-1 T A A 

1,700 


ft. 


2,200 


ft. 


East 


2,800 


ft. 


-1 n r\r\ 

1,600 


it. 


1,200 


ft. 


Elk (Old Field Fk.) 


4,500 


ft. 


575 


it. 


3,925 


ft. 


Ganley 


4,400 


ft. 


bzU 


it. 


3,780 


ft. 


Glady Fork 


3,500 


ft. 


1,950 


ft. 


1,550 


ft. 


Great Kanawha (New)* 


1,500 


ft. 


515 


ft. 


985 


ft- 


Greenbrier (East Fk.) 


3,700 


ft. 


1 OAA 

l,oUU 


It. 


2,400 


ft. 


Guj^andot 


2,700 


ft. 


50o 


ft. 


2,195 


ft. 


XT 1 1 

Holly 


O AAA 

3,000 


ft. 


-I AAA 

1,000 


it. 


2,000 


ft. 


Hughes (South Fk.) 


1,100 


ft. 


A A 

600 


ft. 


500 


ft. 


Laurel Fork of Cheat 


3,800 


ft. 


2,200 


ft. 


1,600 


ft. 


Little Coal (Pond Fk.) 


2,500 


ft. 


A A 

600 


it. 


1,900 


ft. 


Little Cacapon 


1,700 


ft. 


520 


ft. 


1,180 


ft. 


Little Kanawha 


2,800 


ft. 


600 


ft. 


2,200 


ft. 


Meadow 


3,000 


ft. 


1,100 


ft. 


1,900 


Pi 
ft. 


Monongahela (West Fk.) 


1,500 


ft. 


800 


ft. 


700 


ft. 


Middle Fork 


3,300 


ft. 


1,500 


ft. 


1,800 


ft. 


Mud 


1,000 


ft. 


550 


ft. 


450 


ft. 


Ohio* 


700 


ft. 


500 


ft. 


200 


ft. 


Piney 


3,000 


ft. 


■1 -1 AA 

1,100 


ft. 


1,900 


ft. 


Pocatalico 


1,000 


ft. 


r" A 

550 


ft. 


450 


ft. 


Potomac (North Br.) 


3,200 


ft. 


Of? A 

ZbU 


-P4. 
it. 


2,940 


ft. 


Shavers Fork 


4,600 


ft. 


1,650 


ft. 


2,950 


ft. 


Shenandoah* 


doO 


it. 


260 


ft. 


A A 

90 


it. 


Stony 


4,000 


ft. 


2,000 


ft. 


2,000 


ft. 


Tygarts Valley 


3,300 


ft. 


880 


ft. 


2,420 


ft. 


South Branch Potomac 


2,400 


ft. 


560 


ft. 


1,840 


ft. 


Williams 


4,400 


ft. 


2,100 


ft. 


2,300 


ft. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



13 



The State as a Natural Forest Region. 

The great range in altitude of 4,600 feet, the variety of 
soils^ including the rich alluvial soils of river bottoms, the 
numerous clays of hills and plateaus, the cool, sandy loams of 
coves and north hillsides, the dry sands of mountain ridges, the 
shales of the northeastern counties, and the deep, wet, vegetable 
soils of upland glades, are favorable to the existence of many 
kinds of trees. These^ together with the various exposures — the 
sunny hillsides, the sheltered coves, the shady banks of moun- 
, tain streams, the bleak summits of mountains, the rocky canons, 
and the low river valleys — as well as the humidity of the region 
and other favorable natural features and conditions, constitute 
West Virginia a remarkable forest area. The range of altitude, 
mentioned above, is the equivalent of at least 15 degrees of 
latitude. This means that the state has a climate suitable for 
the existence of the great diversity of life — every plant, every 
animal, every tree — that thrives from the southern border of 
Virginia to beyond the Canadian border. There are three well- 
defined life zones, designated as Carolinian, Transition, and 
Canadian, to be found within the state. 

The Carolinian zone, or more properly the Carolinian 
faunal area of the Upper Austral zone, has been in general thus 
described : 

''The Carolinian faunal area occupies the larger part of 
the Middle States^ except the mountains, covering southeastern 
South Dakota, eastern Nebraska, Kansas, and part of Okla- 
homa; nearly the whole of Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, 
Ohio, Maryland, and Delav/are; more than half of West Vir- 
ginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and New Jersey, and large areas 
in Georgia, Alabama, the Carolinas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, 
New York, Michigan, and southern Ontario. On the Atlantic 
coast it reaches from near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay to 
southern Connecticut, and sends narrow arms up the valleys of 
the Connecticut and Hudson rivers. A little farther west an- 
other slender arm is sent northward, following the east shore of 
Lake Michigan, nearly or quite to Grand Traverse Bay. * * * * 

''Counting from the north, the Carolinian area is that in 



14 



WEST VIRGINIA AS A TIMBER PRODUCING STATE. 



which the sassafras, tulip tree, hackberry, sycamore, sweet gum, 
rose magnolia, red bud, persimmon, and short-leaf pine first 
make their appearance together with the opossum, gray fox, fox 
squirrel, cardinal bird, Carolina wren, tufted tit^ gnatcatcher, 
summer tanager, and yellow-breasted chat. Chestnuts, hickory- 
nuts, hazelnuts, and walnuts grow wild in abundance. The 
area is of gerat agricultural importance."* 

This zone covers the western half of the state, or, in other 
words, most of the Ohio river section and much of the Potomac 
section in the east. Among its common trees are several species 
of oaks, including white oak, black oak, shingle oak, Spanish 
oak, yellow oak, mossy cup oak, pin oak, and others, the yellow 
poplar, the sweet gum, the box elder, the persimmon, the red 
bud, the silver maple, the sweet buckeye, the pawpaw, the silver 
bell, and the yellow pine. 

Within this zone are found the principal agricultural lands 
of West Virginia and, for this reason, a large percentage of the 
forest has been removed in many sections to give place to the 
growing of grains, vegetables and fruits. Except in a few local- 
ities where the hills are thin and unfit for cultivation the grow- 
ing of extensive forests is impossible and should not be recom- 
mended. There are, however, several acreg. of rough and steep 
land on almost every farm throughout this whole agricultural 
area where the products from well-kept- woodlots would far ex- 
ceed in value any other crop. These woodlots would be of inesti- 
mable value as protectors of soils and streams as well. 

Several counties, or portions of counties, including parts of 
Preston, Barbour, Upshur, Webster, and others, lie in the humid 
or Alleghanian faunal area of the Transition life zone. As its 
name implies there is an overlapping in this zone of species from 
the regions above and below it, and there are few really dis- 
tinctive animals or plants. ' ' In the Alleghanian faunal area the 
chestnut, walnut, oaks, and hickories of the south meet and over- 
lap the beech, birch, hemlock, and sugar maple of the north. * 
****** Several native nuts, of which the beechnut, butter- 
nut, chestnut, hazelnut, hickorynut, and ^valnut are most im- 
portant, grow wild in this belt. Of these the cliestniit, hiekory- 



*Life Zones and Crop Zones of the United States. C. Hart Merriam. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



15 



nut, and walnut come in from the south ( Carolinian area) and 
do not extend much beyond the southern or warmer parts of the 
Alleghanian area." 

This zone, like that which lies below it, is well adapted to 
agriculture in most places and has been occupied for many years 
by agricultural people. There is much rough and unproductive 
land here, also^ along the stream channels and on the hillsides, 
where woodlots should be allowed to remain permanently and 
should be attend^ and made more profitable than they are at 
present- 

The Canadian life zone embraces, in West Virginia, large 
areas on mountains and plateaus above the 3,000-foot level, in 
Tucker, Grant, Pendleton, Randolph, Webster, Pocahontas, and 
Greenbrier counties. The typical forest trees of this zone are the 
cone-bearers, such as red spruce.hemlock and yellow birch : and 
the animal life consists of such species as the varying hare, the 
star-nosed mole, the veery, and the Canadian warller. 

Farming is here not g^erally successful. Grazing and 
fruit-growing are profitable in some sections and some varieties 
of vegetables can be grown. It has been pointed out that "labor 
spent in attempting to grow wheat or corn is not only wasted, 
but this labor hastens the destruction of soil, which should be 
protected by every means possible."' 

I\Iany of the rivers of the state rise in this high region and 
are largely dependent upon the forests for their resnlar 
flow of water. Unfortunately, these forests which are of greatf^st 
value to the state are most readily demolished — mature trees, 
young growth, and even the soil itself — by lumbermen and by 
the fires which follow their operations. 

The Original Forests. 

What the favorable conditions for the growth of forests 
would naturally produce they did produce in West Virginia. 
"When white men first came into the state it was all forest 
except a few cliffs and rocky pSakfe, and two or three old fields 
where Indians had probably cultivated corn."* To the small 



*Report W. Va. Conservation Commission, p. 18.. 



16 WEST VIRGINIA AS A TIMBER PRODUCING STATE. 

treeless areas mentioned above may be added an area of 100 acres 
or more of open glades in Pocahontas county, two or three of 
smaller size in Webster, one in Tucker, and others in Preston, 
Nicholas, Greenbrier, Mercer, Randolph, and Raleigh. But 
these were as almost nothing in comparison with the 15^ mil- 
lion acres or more of forest. No one knows how long this forest 
had been in existence nor just how much timber it contained. It 
had reached a state of equilibrium. ''The growth was neither 
increasing nor diminishing but was at a standstill. The young 
growth coming on and the old trees dying and falling^ balanced 
each other." Marked changes^ such as the succession of certain 
species in certain areas, took place not by years but by centuries. 
Northern species had been swept down in the flow of ice or had 
been distributed by other natural agencies along the cold sum- 
mits of the mountains; others had crept from the south and 
spread themselves along the lowlands ; and others had entered 
from the plains of the West or from the Atlantic coast on the 
east. 

The changes that have been brought about in the forests 
which were thus established in the state, through the introduc- 
tion and toleration of destructive forces, are spoken of in sub- 
sequent chapters. 



CHAPTER III 



THE UTILITY OF FORESTS. 



The utility of forests from every standpoint has become so 
apparent to almost everybody, their useful products and their 
beneficial influence have become so familiar, that the whole mat- 
ter might almost be passed without comment so far as imparting 
information to the reading public is concerned. It is possible, 
however, that some persons, even in this day, may not have con- 
sidered just how many indispensable things and how many 
luxuries must be credited as coming, either directly or indirectly, 
from this source. 

Forests are maintained, in general, for two purposes, 
namely, for their products and for their influence. That is, they 
have a direct value in that they supply wood and many minor 
commercial products and furnish lucrative employment to men ; 
and they have an indirect value in that they protect water» 
courses and soils, influence climate, improve the health and the 
ethics of the people, etc. Under the two main heads here sug- 
gested are grouped a number of facts regarding forest resources 
and forest influences. 

THE DIRECT VALUE OF FORESTS. 

Wood a Necessity. 

It is said that civilization is inconceivable without an 
abundance of wood. Whether this statement is absolutely true 
or not, it is near enough the truth to be extremely interesting, 
particularly in a day when all the evidence points to a near-at- 
hand timber shortage. The subject of a timber famine is usually 
dismissed by the unthinking person with the remark that when 
the timber is gone we can use something in its place. It is true 
that substitutes for wood are being used in many cases, but it 
2 



18 



THE UTILITY OF FORESTS. 



is safe to say that nothing has ever been found or ever will be 
fonnd that can take its place for every purpose. With all the 
efforts that are being made to discover satisfactory substitutes, 
and in spite of the present extensive use of cement, bricks, and 
metals, the consumption of wood in England, where practically 
all the lumber is imported, is increasing at the rate of 5 per 
cent per annum, and in the United States and France at the rate 
of 10 per cent per annum. 

Judging from the amount of wood consumed in the United 
States it is a greater necessity here than in any other civilized 
country. Our annual wood consumption is not far from 23 bil- 
lion cubic feet. This is more than 250 cubic feet per capita. 
Some authorities place it at 100 cubic feet above this- But even 
at the smaller figure, this country easily stands at the head of 
the list- Germany, with its magnificent and well-tended forests, 
manages to get along with about 63 cubic feet per capita annu- 
ally ; and some other countries with much less than this. But no 
country has been able to do without it entirely. 

West Virginia comes in for her full share of extravagance 
in the use of wood, and would feel most keenly the effects ot a 
shortage. There is enough lumber sawed in the state each year 
to supply every resident man, woman and child with a thousand 
feet, or enough to build a board walk 200 feet wide around the 
1,170 miles of the state's boundary line, with plenty to spare. 
If we add to this the enormous amounts consumed as fuel, 
and cut for poles, posts, fence-rails, cross-ties, staves, tan-bark, 
mine timbers, pulp wood, etc., for which we have no definite rec- 
ord, together with all that is wasted in lumber operations, and 
all that is burned by forest fires, we can safely state that West 
Virginia can make no claim for great economy at present, and 
we can begin to see that wood must be one of our most in- 
dispensable commodities. 

Many of the commonest and most necessary things are most 
easily forgotten and least appreciated. We think of air and 
water when we are deprived of them. Wood has been almost 
as common as air or water and it has been used as if it were just 
as inexhaustible. Now, when the supply begins to wane, we ca,ii 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



19 



understand better than ever before to what extent we are de- 
pendent upon it. 

More than half of all our dwellings, churches and schoolhouses 
are built of wood, and in the other half wood is used as an essen- 
tial part of the structure. Inside fixtures, such as shelving, ward- 
robes, etc., as well as all manner of furniture and other articles 
found in houses, including tables, chairs, beds, stands, desks, 
dressers, dining room and kitchen furniture, musical instm- 
ments, etc., are made of wood. Many people still use it for fuel. 

Outside of buildings wood is no less a necessity. Eailroad 
companies use it for cars, for cross-ties, for trestles, and for tele 
graph poles ; telephone companies use it for poles, for brackets, 
and for many other purposes ; mine operators use it for props, 
and ties, and headers; and oil and gas companies use it for 
derricks. 

There is hardly a useful article in the manufacture of which 
wood is not employed or does not enter in, and hardly an occupa- 
tion which can exist without it. Farmers need it in cultivating 
their ground, in harvesting, threshing, and marketing their 
grain; fruit-growers ship their products in wooden barrels, car- 
riers and baskets; and manufacturers ship their wares in 
wooden barrels, crates, and boxes. 

The bark of some trees is used in tanning leather, and large 
quantites of wood are used in the manufacture of paper. Wood 
alcohol, vinegar, acetates, and creosote, as well as maple sugar 
and many minor by-products are derived from wood- It would 
be next to impossible, indeed, to enumerate even the common 
uses of wood- 
Forest Industries. 

''The lumber industry now ranks fourth among the manu- 
facturing enterprises in the United States, and represents an 
invested capital of about $611,000,000 and an annual outlay of 
over $100,000,000 in wages. It affords through its tlu-ee great 
branches — ^the logging industry, the saw miU industry, and the 
planing mill industry — a means of livelihood to considerably 
over a million persons."* 



*"Iiifluence of Forestry upon the Lumber Industry" — Overton W. 
Price. 



20 



THE UTILITY OF FORESTS. 



In West Virginia there are 14,000 men, earning about 
$9,000,000 a year, engaged in logging and operating the band 
saw mills alone. Add to this 5,000 men who work on smaller 
operations^ 5,000 in planing mills and other wood-working 
establishments, and 2,000 more in tanneries, pulp mills, chemical 
factories, etc., and we have a total of 26,000 men earning ap- 
proximately $16,000,000 a year. Beside these there is a large 
number of men, such as carpenters, salesmen, jobbers and others, 
who are indirectly furnished with employment through the lum- 
ber industry. These approximate figures and general statements 
are not included for the purpose of justifying the present ab- 
normal development of our forests, but to call attention to the 
direct utility of forests as a means of supplying employment. 
In order to show the possibility of an extensive, indestructive, 
and perpetual lumber industry in this state we quote from 
report of the West Virginia Conservation Cum mission as 
follows : 

''It is of interest to know how much timber West Virginia 
can grow^ year by year, if its forests are properly cared for, and 
the vacant spaces are put to work as they should be. Take it 
for granted that 8,000,000 acres in the state will be kept perma- 
nently in productive forests. It can be figured out with a fair 
degree of accuracy how much timber will grow on an acre, and 
how much the yearly growth will be. The same rule does not 
hold everywhere. The growth depends on climate, soil, kinds of 
trees, and the care given them. In some of the finest Japanese 
forests the yearly growth is as much as 80 cubic feet per acre. 
In some of the neglected and fire-wasted woods of West Virginia 
it is not one-tenth that much. In the vigorous hardwood forests 
of this state the annual increment may be as much as 50 or 60 
cubic feet, but in choice localities only. The state's 8,000,000 
acres, if guarded from fire, and well cared for in all ways, ought 
to yield 25 cubic feet of timber yearly for each acre. The esti- 
mate is conservative. That would provide for a yearly harvest, 
from the whole state of 1,600,000,000 feet, board measure- At 
$20 a thousand feet, the gross income from lumber sales would 
be 32 million dollars a year. That would not be the rake-off of 
several years growth at one time, as at present, with nothing for 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



21 



many succeeding years, but it would come in every year, and as 
time went on the yield would increase rather than diminish.*' 

THE INDIRECT VALUE OF FORESTS. 

The forest in its effect upon water supply, upon the charac- 
ter of soils, and upon climate, and in its relation to animal life, 
to sanitation and to recreation, is often made secondary to its 
value as a wood-producer and as a place for employment. In a 
broad sense, hoY\^ever, its influence may be more valuable than its 
products. 

The Forest in Its Relation to Water Supply and Distribution. 

Many volumes have been written to show the relation of 
forests to water supply. The question is a most important one 
in West Virginia, as it is in all mountainous and hilly regions 
where the water which falls may become highly useful or highly 
destructive according to the manner of its distribution within 
and without the state. 

It is not known that more water falls in the course of a 
year in the form of rain, snow, and hail, upon forest regions than 
on the same area after the forests have been removed. Tests 
which have been made for the purpose of determining this have 
proven almost nothing. They have failed principally for two" 
reasons, one that the rain gauges, although placed near together, 
have often furnished widely differing records due to uneven 
rainfall, varying winds, etc., and the other that it has been im- 
possible to select two areas for the tests which were in every 
way equal except for their covering. It is a common belief 
among men of wide experience that rain falls more frequently 
and in greater volume in forest regions than away from them 
and, until it can be proven otherwise, this belief, which is sup- 
ported by reason, will not be abandoned. 

But whether rainfall and snowfall are affected by forests 
or not, it is well known that the distribution of water after it 
has reached the earth is so affected; and in this all persons are 
most greatly interested. "We include here under the 6 following 



22 



THE UTILITY OF FORESTS. 



heads a clear and able discussion of this whole subject as applied 
to conditions in West Virginia, from The Report of the West 
Virginia Conservation Commission: 

"The Forest's Influence Over Floods and Droughts." 

"Forests exercise a considerable influence over the behavior 
of rivers. This influence is not the same in all climates and 
countries. Each river system must be studied by itself, for 
deduction under one set of conditions may not hold true under 
another. Generally speaking a woodland soil absorbs more 
water than naked ground. The decaying leaves, the roots and 
stems, and the more porous nature of the upper layers of the 
forest soil, take up the rain and melting snow, and hold it for a 
time, permitting it to filter away slowly and enter the streams 
gradually. Sudden rushes of water down steep slopes after a 
rain are thus hindered, and the streams rise more slowly, flow 
more regularly, and seldom reach excessively low stages- When 
the same has been laid bare and packed by its own weight and 
under the unobstructed beating of rain drops, its surface 
hardens, its porosity is lessened, and it sheds water like a roof* 
The streams catch it quickly and floods follow. That is the 
difference between a forested and a treeless region. A country 
well cultivated, and producing farm crops, may have a soil 
almost or quite as effective in preventing storm water from flow- 
ing too quickly to the streams. The dangerous region is the one 
with steep, bare slopes. The West Virginia mountains would, 
if denuded, be a constant menace to all the lower valleys. Floods 
surpassing everything known in this region heretofore would be 
sure to follow. On the other hand, streams would speedily be- 
come dry after the rains had ceased. 

' ' Public opinion has long held that the floods are increasing 
in .number, not only in West Virginia but in other regions where 
rapid deforestation has been going on, but only recently were 
figures compiled showing just what is taking place in this state. 
Records of river stages and rainfall have been kept daily during 
many years, at numerous points, by the United States Geological 
Survey, the War Department, and the Weather Bureau. A 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



23 



compilation of results shows a very disquieting state of affairs 
in West Virginia. Floods in the Ohio at "Wheeling have increased 
28 per cent in number in 26 years; Potomac floods at Harpers 
Ferry have increased 36 per cent in 18 years ; the Monongahela 
floods, at Greensboro, Pennsylvania, show an increase of 73 per 
cent in 24 years; and at Charleston an increase of 83 per cent 
is shown by the Kanawha in 20 years. 

"The increase in low water periods, for the same time, fol- 
lows: Ohio river 39 per cent; Potomac 40 per cent; Mononga- 
hela 36 per cent ; and Kanawha about the same as the Mononga- 
hela. 

"The actual quantity of water discharged by the Potomac 
per year is 8 per cent more than 12 years ago; and for the Ohio 
at Wheeling, the quantit}^ is 13 per cent greater. 

"The average rainfall for the whole state of AYest Virginia 
seems to be about 2^ per cent less than it v/as 8 years ago. This 
does not necessarily imply that the decrease will be permanent 
or that it will continue. It is well known that rainfall varies 
greatly. It sometimes increases during a term of years, then 
declines, and again increases. The cycle of change -seems to be 
'about 35 years ; but that matter needs additional proof before 
it should be accepted as settled. 

"The increase of the total discharge of West Virginia 
rivers, in spite of diminishing rainfall and a greater fluctuation 
than formerly in the periods of high and low water, is due solely, 
so far as available data can be interpreted^ to the deforestation 
of the mountains. There is no reason to doubt that a continua- 
tion of the timber cutting and burning will increase the fluctua- 
tion of the streams, if, indeed, it does not permanently reduce 
the rainfall which is b}^ no m.eans improbable. 

"Water Resources," 

"The average annual rainfall in West Virginia, including 
melted snow, is about 40 inches. The amount is 2,322,295.810,000 
cubic feet, enough to fill a reservoir of 16 square miles and one 
mile deep. The mass of water is disposed of in two ways. Part 
of it flows away by the rivers, and part of it evaporates before 
it reaches the large watercourses. The part which goes out by 



24 



THE UTILITY OF FORESTS. 



the rivers is about two-fifths of the whole precipitation, and in 
a year amounts to a sheet of water 16 inches deep over the entire 
surface of the state, or approximatly 921,842,176,000 cubic feet. 
The portion which evaporates would equal a sheet of water 24 
inches deep over the whole state. 

"The water which goes off as vapor renders plant growth 
possible. Part of it is taken in by the roots and after being used 
by the plant for various purposes, is evaporated through the 
leaves. But it is the water which gets into rivers that counts 
for navigation, water-power, and other purposes. The theoreti- 
cal horsepower possible of development from the streams of 
West Virginia exceeds two million. One-half of this should 
be set aside as not available in practice. In order to utilize the 
other remaining one million horsepower it would be necessary 
to develop all the streams, construct reservoirs on the mountains 
to collect floods, and provide means of obtaining a steady flow 
all the time. One million horsepower would go a long way 
toward meeting all the state's needs in that line. The following 
table shows the amount of power used in West Virginia for the 
years given: 



Steam, Water, 

Year. Jwrsepower horsepower Total. 

1870 17,176 10,195 27,331 

1880 28,456 9,454 37,910 • 

1890 44,680 10,552 55,457 

1900 95,595 10,273 108,566 

For the purpose of comparison, a similar table for the 
United States is given: 

Steam, Water, 

Year horsepower, horsepower- Total- 

1870 1,215,711 1,130.431 2,346,142 

1880.., 2,185,458 1,225,379 3,410,837 

1890 4,662,029 1,263,343 5,954,655 

1900 8,742,416 1,727,258 11,300,080 



''Railroads are not included in these tables. It is important 
to note that in 30 years, both in West Virginia and in the whole 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



25 



United States, the use of steam increased from 500 to 700 per 
cent, while the use of waterpower remained almost the same for 
the whole time. The building of railroads made coal cheap and 
plentiful and it was more convenient to use it than to develop 
waterpower. Besides, in recent years only has it been found 
practicable to carry waterpower long distances by electricity. 
Formerly it was necessary to locate the power plants near the 
place where the power was to be used, and that generally made 
waterpower unavailable. It is now practicable to transport 
power long distances by wire, and this fact ought to open the 
way to the development of waterpower in remote and rugged 
regions which was impossible a few years ago. Power might 
be profitably carried by electricity from any point in West 
Virginia to any other point. Water thus used is a resource 
that can never be exhausted. It cannot be used up so long as 
rains fall and rivers flow. West Virginia has a very liberal 
share of this resource. Its money value cannot be estimated 
except at so much per horsepower. Taking that at $20 a year, 
the full development would pay 6 per cent on a capitalization 
of $330,000,000. 

"The impounding of water in enormous reservoirs by 
building dams across valleys high in the mountains would not 
be an experiment. Work of a like kind is being carried on in 
different parts of the country, especially in the west where the 
water is made available both for irrigation and for power. 
Some of the dams rank with the world's greatest engineering 
feats, and they make possible the development of resources 
which have lain idle in all past time. Reservoirs are being 
built of sufficient capacity to store the entire flow of a river for 
many months. West Virginia has many excellent sites for stor- 
age reservoirs^ some being 2,000 or 3,000 feet in elevation, 
others lower. The development of this resource, from the 
nature of the case, will take a long time. Power will be pro- 
duced faster than it can be used, 

"The construction of systems of dams in the mountain 
valleys would serve other useful purposes than the develop- 
ment of waterpower. The storing of a large part of the storm 
water would lessen floods and lower rivers, and much of the 



26 



THE UTILITY OF FORESTS. 



usual damage from high waters might be avoided. Extremely 
low water might be prevented likewise by gradually draining 
the stored water into the streams in dry weather. The flow of 
rivers provided with large reservoirs can be regulated as 
rivers are which flow from and to lakes. 

''It should be borne in mind, however, that dams and 
reservoirs without forests would not be worth much. The soil 
on the steep slopes must be kept covered with vegetation or it 
will wash into the reservoirs and fill them. Again, the import- 
ance of speedy action to protect the forest is seen. Almost 
every proposed development goes back to and depends upon 
the forest, and unless the woods are cared for, nearly every 
other resource becomes unavailable." 

"West Virginia's River Commerce." 

"The ability of the streams of West Virginia to carry 
commerce is one of the state's most valuable resources. The 
road to market is the path to prosperity; and the easier and 
better the road the greater the prosperity. Wealth locked up 
is no better than poverty. Free exchange of commodities is 
the life and blood of business growth and national develop- 
ment. 

"The United States Government has improved the West 
Virginia rivers and made them navigable, but the water and 
the commerce come from this state. It is for that reason to 
West Virginia's interest to provide water to fill the channels 
and freight to laden the barges. 

"The total extent of navigable water in West Virginia is 
748^ miles, according to the figures compiled by the National 
Bureau of Commerce and Labor. A table showing the mileage 



of each stream follows: 

Monongahela 33 miles. 

Ohio 285 

Great Kanawha 90 

Little Kanawha 120 " 

Guyandotte 50 

Big Sandy and tributaries 170^ " 



Total 748/2 miles 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



27 



''Some of this mileage can scarcely apply to both going np 
as well as down, but is calculated on the ability of the streams 
to carry rafts or boats in time of medium flood stages. The 
Monongahela is considered only from Fairmont to the Pennsyl- 
vania line ; the Big Sandy, its whole length, and the Ohio along 
the state border. 

''The Federal Government has spent large sums improving 
West Virginia rivers or those receiving their principal supply 
of water from the mountains of West Virginia. The expendi- 
tures from 1790 to 1907 have been as follows: 



Big Sandy and tributaries 1,445,425 32 

Guyandotte 22,500 00 

Great Kanawha 4,730,108 02 

New 112,000 00 

Gauley 15,000 00 

Elk 35,000 00 

Little Kanawha 488,844 38 

Monongahela, its whole length 6,794,827 40 

Ohio, its whole length 24,485,261 26 

Buckhannon 5,500 00 

Cheat 13,000 00 



Total 38,147,466 39 



' ' The remarkable point in these figures is that approximate- 
ly one-twelfth of the money spent by the Government, from 
1790 to 1907, for the improvement of the rivers and the harbors 
of the whole country, has been spent upon rivers depending in 
whole or in part upon West Virginia for their water. Cut off 
or greatly reduce the flow from the West Virginia plateau re- 
gion and every one of those rivers would immediately feel the 
effect, and would become nearly or quite dry. Without water 
from West Virginia, the Ohio river would dwindle to a stream 
practically worthless for carrying commerce. As a freight car- 
rier, the Monongahela would be a thing of the past, although it 
is now one of the largest carriers of freight on the continent. 
No other territory of five times its size exercises the influence 



28 



THE UTILITY OF FORESTS. 



upon the inland navigation of the United States that is exerted 
by the West Virginia mountain region. 

"It is not in man's power to cut off or lessen to any great 
extent the total quantity of water flowing year by year from the 
West Virginia mountains into the streams, but it is within his 
power to largely control the manner in which the water is 
furnished. By keeping the mountains forested, a steady supply 
will be available ; but if the woods are destroyed, the water will 
go down as destructive floods when rain has fallen, and it will 
as quickly disappear when rains cease — too much at one time, 
and not enough at another. It is within man's power to protect 
navigable channels from another danger — that of filling with 
gravel and mud washed from the land. To accomplish this, the 
mountains should be kept well covered with woods. 

"The commerce on West Virginia rivers, or those depend- 
ing very largely upon this state for water, is shown in the fol- 
lowing table, the figures being for 1906 : 



Big Sandy . . . . 
Great Kanawha 
Little Kanawha 
Monongahela . . 
Ohio 

Total 



148,623 tons 
1,613,889 tons 

106,510 tons 
11,447,444 tons 
13,163,656 tons 



26,480,122 tons 



"This is more than one-fifth of the total river commerce of 
the United States. There are 282 navigable streams, and the 
five named above carry 20 per cent of the freight. Little of it 
would be carried without the water which flows from the moun- 
tains of West Virginia. For that reason, this state is of 
supreme importance to the nation's inland water commerce. A 
greater tonnage originates on the banks of the Monongahela^ 
and is carried by it, than on any other river of the Western 
Hemisphere. A few rivers carry more, but much of it is fur- 
nished by tributary streams or comes from the sea. There are, 
however, only four rivers in the United States which actually 
carry more than the Monongahela, and two of these, the Ohio 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



29 



and the Mississippi, receive much of their tonnage from the 
Monongahela, and the other two, the Delaware and the Hudson, 
receive from the sea much of theirs. 

**The navigability of West Virginia streams ought to be 
maintained and further improved. The care of navigable rivers 
is a function of the United States Government, and it usually 
does not ask or receive aid from the states. But West Virginia 
is so peculiarly and so fortunately situated that the advisability 
of joining hands with the Federal Government to promote cer- 
tain works would be worthy of careful consideration in case the 
Government should invite such co-operation and express a will- 
ingness to follow certain lines. One such measure would be the 
protection of the high mountain forests, and another, the build- 
ing of storage reservoirs, previously referred to in this report. 
If the Government should take up this work, it would do it for 
the purpose of improving the navigation of streams which carry 
interstate commerce, and not to promote forestry, or develop 
water powers, or to assist one state alone^ although these things 
would result as incidentals to the general purpose. 

''The Federal Government cannot now take up the work 
because Congress has not enacted laws authorizing it. neither 
has the Legislature of West Virginia passed the necessary act 
giving its consent to the purchase of land in the state by the 
Government for that purpose. The proposed act for the pur- 
chase of land in the Appalachian region for National Forests, 
failed to pass Congress. So far as West Virginia is concerned, 
the state ought to give its consent to the purchase of land by 
the United States in the high mountains for forestry purposes. 
If the care of these wide forested areas falls entirely upon the 
people of West Virginia, it will be a heavy burden — but it can- 
not be evaded. If the Government will do part, the state ought, 
at least, to give its consent. 

' ' The construction of storage reservoirs in the mountains of 
West Virginia can scarcely be said to be under serious consider- 
ation by the Federal Government at present ; but the feasibility 
of the project, and its bearing on the navigation of rivers, have 
been discussed in different Government departments, and action 
at some time is probable. If such reservoirs are built they will 



30 



THE UTILITY OF FORESTS. 



be on the headwaters of the ]\Ionongahela, the Cheat, the Kana- 
wha and its tributaries, the Big Sandy, and probably the head 
streams of the Potomac. If the Government does this, it will 
consider it a national work; but West Virginia would derive 
much more benefit than any other state, and it could well afford 
to assist in a substantial manner, if asked by the Government to 
do so. Free rights of way and reservoir sites would be a small 
price to pay for the enormous value such improvements would 
be to the people of the state. Local encouragement often goes 
a long way toward securing help from the Government.'" 

"Irrigation." 

"Irrigation — the artificial watering of crops — is a form of 
development to which the people of West Virginia have given 
little or no thought. It is not a matter of as much importance 
here as it is in some other parts of the country and world, be- 
cause in West Virginia rains are usually sufficient to produce 
some sort of crop. Nevertheless, there are thousands of acres in 
the valleys of this state where irrigation would greatly increase 
the yield. Water in ample quantity is nearly always available 
at much less expense than is usual with those who practice irri- 
gation elsewhere. It probably would not pay to irrigate grain 
and the coarser crops : but it would pay in many cases to resort 
to that method of farming where the land is occupied by truck 
gardens, berries and fruits. When agriculture becomes more 
intensive in this state, as it will and as it ought, irrigation will 
play an important part in the highest development of our soil 
resources. 

"The opinion is more or less prevalent that irrigation is 
useful in arid regions onh'. This is erroneous. Flowers and 
lawns need water between showers, and they suffer if they do 
not get it. Gardens and orchards often sniffer from thirst which 
might be satisfied from neighboring streams which run to waste, 

"Many instances might be sighted to show that irrigation 
brings excellent results in countries which have considerable 
rain the year round. Northern Italy is a case to the point. Its 
climate resembles West Virginia's except that it is not quite so 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



31 



cold in Avinter. The rainfall is nearly the same. Irrigation has 
there produced development which would be impossible without 
it. 

''The artificial watering of land need not be looked for in 
West Virginia until farmers and gardeners see that it will pay. 
The state might, without much cost, investigate the matter by 
conducting irrigation experiments. This might be done by the 
Experiment Station, and no special legislation would be neces- 
sary, further than to make an appropriation for the purpose. 
The appropriation need not be large, but the experiments should 
extend through a number of years to make sure of the value of 
results. 

"Municipal Water Supply." 

"The health of the people is a most valuable asset. It should 
be given high place in the list of resources on which a state's 
prosperity depends. It may not be possible to measure it by 
dollars, but it has a money value. It has been claimed that 
every person that dies before his time means a loss of $10,000 
to the commimity. The correctness of the estimate might be 
questioned by some, but no one will deny that human life and 
health, aside from all sentimental considerations, is worth look- 
ing after. The individual may protect liimself the best he can, 
but some things he cannot do, the state can. Few lives are ab- 
solutely worthless, and sickness always lays a burden on some- 
body or on the community. The health of the most obscure per- 
son is a matter for public concern: and much more so is the 
health of those who contribute to the country's welfare and 
prosperity. The struggle for existence is hard enough and pro- 
gress is slow enough when conditions are as favorable as they 
can be made. 

'•'The difficulty of protecting the health of the people of 
West Virginia increases from year to year. Effort seems to 
slack as difficulty grows. The waters in the streams become more 
impure, and the inquiries after remedies do not appear vigorous 
or widespread. In some cases the West Virginian uses water 
which a Chinaman would not touch without boiling it first. This 



32 



THE UTILITY OF FORESTS. 



is not meant as a criticism of corporations and companies which 
own municipal water works. They seem to be doing about as 
well as they can under the circumstances, but the circumstances 
are against them. The fault lies nearer to the door of the whole 
people than to any particular doors that might be pointed out. 
If rivers are allowed to become so dirty that no treatment less 
heroic than ''destructive distillation" can purify them, it is too 
much to expect individuals or companies to do the work. The 
remedy must begin at the beginning and not at the ending. The 
pollution ought to be kept out of the rivers, and then it would 
not need to be taken out. What is needed is prevention rather 
than cure. 

"The natural watercourses were once pure in all parts of 
West Virginia. Their drainage basins were covered with for- 
ests and farms, and the water which fed the streams was clean. 
Many of these streams are sewers now. Their valleys are 
thickly settled, their banks lined with towns and manufacturing 
places, mines and mills, and the offal of the land goes directly 
into the streams. Under present methods it can go no where 
else. 

"The trouble really begins at the tops of the mountains, 
where the cutting of timber has bared the ground, caused 
the drying up of springs once pure and perennial, and sub- 
stituted surface drainage over the hard and packed soil. This 
has polluted the various sources of the rivers. Lower down are 
the mines and their sulphur drainage, camps on the hillsides 
with seldom an underground sewer. Further on are tanneries, 
pulp mills, saw mills, factories, and larger towns, all emptying 
their waste and sewerage into the watercourses with no attemp* 
at purification. The water supply of many towns is pumped 
from rivers which carry this burden of dangerous and offensive 
impurities. Towns with better water supplies are fortunate. 
Filtering plants are doing a great deal. In fact, in many in- 
stances, they virtually stand between the people and death; but 
science has not yet been able to devise a filter that will take out 
all the germs. 

"Impure running streams are the highways along which 
disease germs travel. The typhoid bacteria remain alive from 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 33 

6 to 10 days in water of ordinary temperature. That affords 
them time to move from the source to the mouth of any West 
Virginia stream. Typhoid is only one of many diseases which 
enter homes by way of the water spigots. Contamination from 
a single cholera patient on the Elbe river in Germany in 1892 
infected 17,020 persons of whom 8,605 died. In 1903 the Ex- 
periment Station at Morgantown published a report on rural 
water supply with analyses by Prof. C. D. Howard. A single 
item in that report will suffice to indicate the condition of some 
of the water then drawn from natural streams. On June 19th. 
when the Monongahela was as pure as it could be expected to 
be at any time, it was found that a single gallon of water con- 
tained enough bacteria to supply one healthy specimen to every 
man, woman and child in West Virginia, and 300,000 left over. 
Three days later when a shower had washed a fresh supply into 
the river, a gallon held enough to give one bacterium to every 
person in the United States and the British Isles. 

"There is no reason to suppose that the Monongahela was 
worse than some other rivers of the state, and they are all prob- 
ably much worse now than they were then. No improvement 
is possible as long as they remain the open channels through 
which the country's sewage is carried on its mission of pollu- 
tion. 

"The opinion which is somewhat prevalent that running 
streams purify themselves has no fact for its basis. It is true 
that sunshine, if hot enough, may kill many of the germs as they 
pass over the shoals, but beyond that, running water is more 
dangerous than still water, because it keeps the germs from set- 
tling to the bottom, and as long as they remain alive they are an 
active menace. Deep pools in rivers do more to purify the water 
than is done by all the intervening riffles and shoals. The set- 
tling reservoir at Washington, D. C, precipitates to the bottom 
85 per cent of the impurities that come in with the Potomac 
water. Disease germs are more often products of land than of 
the rivers, and unless they are washed into the stream they are 
not apt to get in. 

"Germs which are capable of producing malignant diseases, 
such as fever, diphtheria and others, are not the only dangers 
3 



34 



THE UTILITY OF FORESTS. 



lurking in the river. Impurities of another kind may do much 
injury, the acids and other chemicals for instances. According 
to press reports, steamers on the Monongahela late this season 
could not use the water from some of the pools without ruining 
their boilers. The water of Cheat river must have been worse, 
judging from the current reports that it put locomotives out of 
commission and that it took the hair off the legs of cattle that 
stood in it in fly time, and was fatal when they drank it. Con- 
ditions must be very bad when a river will tan the skin of a 
living cow and kill her when she slakes her thirst. It is believed 
by persons who have looked into the matter that scarcely a liv- 
ing fish remains in Cheat river between its forks and its mouth. 

''In the old countries, as well as in this, some of the cities 
use their sewage on farms and thus put to good use that which 
was formerly a standing menace. The city of Berlin spent 
$3,000,000 for land and $10,000,000 to lead the sewers to it, 
and is able to clear $60,000 a year on the investment. The waste 
is used to fertilize the land. Some progressive cities and towns 
are following a similai' plan in this country. Among them are 
Brockton and Farmingham, Massachusetts, Bristol, Connecticut, 
Plainfield, New Jersey, Altoona and Wajme, Pennsylvania, 
Pullman, Illinois, Hastings, Nebraska, Colorado Springs, Colo- 
rado, Salt Lake City, Utah, Helena, Montana, Phonix, Arizona, 
Fresno, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Santa Kosa and Redding, Cal- 
ifornia. 

"This Commission is impressed with the importance of 
cleansing and keeping pure the rivers of West Virginia, though 
a degree of excellence such as the waters possessed in pioneer 
days can never again be attained. Rivers in other countries 
more thickly settled than this state are maintained in compar- 
ative purity. "What others successfully do, West Virginia 
ought not hesitate to undertake. It is, however, no small un- 
dertaking. This region is increasing in population and adding 
to and enlarging its manufacturing plants. . The hills are steep 
and the valleys narrow. Level tracts of land large enough for 
sewage disposal are often hard to find within reach of towns. 
The opening of a new mine or the establishment of a lumber 
plant may lead to the building of a town in a year or two. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



35 



Scientific sewering and sewage disposal will find great difficulty 
in keeping pace with development in a state like this where so 
many resources are forcing their way to market." 

"Removal of Soil Through Deforestation." 

**When the ground is laid bare on the steep slopes, rains 
wash the soil away. It is sometimes worn down over its whole 
surface, as may be seen in old clay fields on hillsides ; or gullies 
may form, as is often the case where soils are sandy. In either 
intance the loss is serious. Every rain carries down a load of 
silt or sand, and the rivers carry it toward the sea or drop it in 
their own channels where it forms bars, islands, and shoals. In 
West Virginia the erosion has not yet progressed far, but 
agencies are at work, and rapid denudation may be looked for 
in the near future. In the Appalachian region south of Penn- 
sylvania it has been estimated that the soil from 100 square 
miles goes into the rivers every year, from the native hills. The 
soil is gone forever — ^worse than that, for it is not only lost to 
agriculture which sorely needs it, but it fills navigable chan- 
nels which must be dredged at great cost. Much of the hun- 
dreds of millions of dollars which the Government has spent 
dredging rivers has gone to remove silt washed in from fields 
which ought never to have been cleared, and from deforested 
mountains. 

''West Yirginia can attack this waste in its infancy. It 
should be borne in mind that every yard of soil that gets into 
the streams is lost for all time, because it takes ten thousand 
years for enough rock to decompose to form a foot of soil. The 
people of West Yirginia should profit by the fate of Dalmatia 
which let its forests be destroyed and its soil washed away. In 
some districts of that region the wretched people pound rock 
into sand with hammers and make little plots of groimd for 
gardens, some of them scarcely longer than bed quilts. Care 
of woods once abundant would have prevented the irreparable 
loss in that country, and it will prevent it in West Virginia." 



36 



THE UTILITY OF FORESTS. 



The Forest in Its. Relation to Health. 

Supplementary to the statements regarding pure water in 
relation to the health' of the people — as quoted under a preced- 
ing head — some observations in general should be made regard- 
ing the sanitary influence of forests. 

It is well known that — other things being equal — the gen- 
eral state of health of persons living in the open country, and 
especially in moderately high altitudes, and in close proximity 
to forests, is far above that of persons living in towns and cities. 
There are numerous individual cases, however^ which seem to 
contradict this statement. For example, whole families who 
live under what would appear at first to be ideal health condi- 
itons, are often composed of mere wrecks of beings whose ap- 
pearance betokens misery and ill health. If the causes for their 
condition are sought out they will usually be found on the in- 
terior and not due to outside influences. It is a notable fact, as 
many persons can attest, that good sanitary conditions in the 
homes of these unhealthy families are totally lacking; and that 
the cooks are unable to prepare even plain bread, meat and veg- 
etables so that they can be eaten and digested with any degree 
of ?fise, to say nothing of pleasure. It is safe to say that, on 
the whole, the members of intelligent rural families have before 
t hem the possibility of longer and happier lives than any other 
class of people. Their good state of health is due in part to 
more wholesome exercise, to plainer food, and to more regular 
habits, and in part to purer air and water and to a more tran- 
quil state of mind. 

The air in towns and cities is filled with dust, and smoke, 
and poisonous gases. Moreover, the winds which sweep up the 
streets often carry countless numbers of pafthogenic, or disease- 
producing, microbes into the air to spread infectious disease^ 
among the people. The pure, ozone-filled air of wooded moun- 
tains is free from all such contaminations. The bacteria which 
produce diseases, such as fevers, diphtheria, and tuberculosis, 
are never present in the soil, the water, or the air of virgin 
forests. 

The influence of surroundings, such as forest regions fur- 



WEST \TRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



37 



nish, upon the state of mind is important from the standpoint 
of health. As a rule those persons who worry least live the 
longest and the amount of worry often depends on the sur- 
roundings as much as on the disposition of people. Those who 
work in offices, in stores, in studies, in factories, or in any place 
where they are thrown constantly into social, business, or pro- 
fessional relations with men, are more apt to have their peace 
of mind disturbed than those whose associations are with the 
more unoffending and less imperfect forms of life to be found 
in the open fields and forests. 

Some of the states which have extensive forest reservations 
are finding them most valuable places for the location of sani- 
tariums. In Pennsylvania a large area within the state forest 
reserve has been set aside for the use of the Department of 
Health. A report from "Camp Sanitorium" in this forest, 
states that about 75 per cent of the tubercular patients who 
have come in the past five years to the camp for treatment were 
discharged as cured or the disease arrested. The Legislature 
of that state has recently made large appropriations to aid in 
carrying on and extending this important work for the con- 
servation of human life. 

It is reasonable to suppose that sufferers from diseases of 
the throat and lungs who make long and fatiguing journeys 
from West Virginia to the mountains of the west and south 
could find as great relief, with less inconvenience, in our own 
mountain highlands if suitable accommodations could be pro- 
vided. 

Recreation. 

Forests furnish the most popular and the most satisfactory 
places for recreation : and, during the warmer months, are vis- 
ited by thousands of campers, sight-seers, hunters, fishermen 
and collectors. The national forests are fast becoming "play- 
grounds" for the people. During the last year half a million 
people sought recreation in these forests of the west and north ; 
and a recent publication of the Forest Ser^dce states that the 
time seems not far distant when a million people will annually 
visit them for this purpose. People find well-kept forests more 
desirable places for recreation than those which are not. 



38 



THE UTILITY OF FORESTS. 



Hunting and Fishing. 

Some persons prefer the recreation found in hunting and 
fishing to any other. The 1,000 visitors to the national forests 
of Alaska in 1909 all went for this purpose. Hunting, fishing 
and trapping are among the finest forms of recreation. They 
furnish a mental excitement which diverts the thoughts com- 
pletely from previous occupations^ and takes the follower of 
game or the fisherman into the regions farthest removed from 
the influences which disturb his rest. 

The large number of hunter's licenses issued from the Coun- 
ty Clerks' offices and the numerous fishing and hunting permits 
granted by owners of forest land in West Virginia during the 
past two seasons, are evidences that the people of West Vir- 
ginia are lovers of these sports. It is a lamentable fact, how- 
ever, that the game has been so greatly reduced by careless and 
unlawful hunting and by forest fires, and that the fish have 
been killed by the pollution and drying up of streams to such 
an extent that these innocent sports have lost much of their 
former attraction. 

The economic side of the forests of West Virginia as places 
of recreation is set forth in the report before quoted from as 
follows : 

"A country's natural scenery may have a good deal more 
than an esthetic value. It may be worth money, and from a 
business standpoint its care and improvement is frequently of 
great importance. Fifty million dollars go into Switzerland 
every year to pay the board and traveling expenses of foreign- 
ers who journey there for pleasure and recreation. The 
money thus brought into the country constitutes a large part of 
the income of the people. Nature gave fine scenery and pleasing 
summer climate to Switzerland, and the natives have built the 
best and most picturesque roads in Europe to make travel easy 
and exhilerating. Excellent hotels offer attractive accommoda- 
tions. People go there to spend their money, and depart with 
the feeling that their money was well spent. Scenery and re- 
sorts pay in that country. 

''The people of Maine have found ways to make money out 
of their woods, lakes, rivers and summer hotels. Fishermen and 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



hunters who have plenty of money to spend go by thousands to 
Maine to spend it. They are willing to pay well, and the 
thrifty Yankees see to it that their guests get their money's 
worth. That brings the guest back year after year. Game is 
protected and is plentiful. Streams abound in fish because 
d^Tiamiting and other destructive modes of killing are not per- 
mitted. The woods are in good condition because fires are not 
permitted to burn unopposed. The people of Maine find their 
scenery, resorts, hunting and fishing an investment which pays 
big dividends. 

''West Virginia has not, up to the present time, done much 
with its scenery except to mar it. mutilate it, and burn it up. 
Except in the case of mineral springs, practically nothing has 
been done in this state to make scenery attractive or to bring it 
to the attention of the outside world. V^est Virginia may never 
rival Switzerland, but it can equal ]\Iaine. The summ^er climate 
is glorious among its high mountains and elevated valleys. A 
series of summier hotels from 3.000 to -4.000 feet above the sea 
might stretch across the state, following the Alleghany and par- 
allel ranges of mountains. 

''Adequate highways connecting these resorts, and others 
for side trips to hunting and fishing grounds, with the sur- 
rounding forests cared for. and the innumerable mountain 
streams clear and clean would attract to V^est Virginia many 
thousand wealthy tourists who now hardly know the state by 
name and who never think of visjting ii, except to rush across 
it on the limited express trains of trunk railroads. 

■■'A good many things must be done before VTest Virginia 
will take its due rank as a resort for tourists, health seekers, 
and sight seers. It must first protect its woods and make them 
attractive. It must clean its streams and stock them with fish, 
and make and enforce civilized laws for the protection of the 
fish. It must stop the senseless slaughter of birds and game. 
It must build roads that can be traveled with speed and safety 
by modern vehicles. In building these roads the value of scen- 
ery must be considered in regions where scenery is attractive. 

"The steps necessary to the carrying out of any one of 
these recommendations are many, expensive, and difficult. No 



40 



THE UTILITY OF FORESTS. 



one should suppose that it is possible to do such thing's by sim- 
ply resolving that they ought to be done. The immediate duty 
is to make a beginning and to make it in the right way and in 
the proper direction. Then build upon that beginning as it be- 
comes possible to do so. Check forest fires first : lessen the pol- 
lution of streams ; put all new roads on the best grades; and 
when old ones are changed, put them on proper grades also; 
make it so dangerous for fish dynamiters and game destroyers 
to ply their trade that they will migrate. Follow these begin- 
nings with constructive work : stock streams anew with fish : the 
forests with game and birds; build roads as circumstances will 
allow; and take pains to let the outside world know that TTest 
Virginia is in the scenery and resort business. 

"If the time shall come when immense storage reservoirs 
occupy a number of the elevated valleys among the mountains 
of West Virginia they will constitute an important factor in the 
development of the state's scenic resources. They will add 
more than almost anything else can add to the enjo^mient of 
persons who visit the mountains, as well as to the people who 
live there. To all intents and purposes they will be high moun- 
tain lakes, suited to sail, launch, and canoe. They will cover 
hundreds, and in some cases, perhaps thousands of acres, and 
abound in fish and fowl. The reservoirs are not ye": ■: "il', of 
course. They may not be built for a long time ; but it is reason- 
ably safe to count on them as one of the most attractive fea- 
tures of our mountain scenery in years to come." 

The Forest in Its Relation to Climate. 

Just what the influence of forests is upon climate has not 
been fully worked out. To a certain extent, however, there 
need be no tests made with theremometers. barometers, and 
other instruments, to convince us that trees and forests have at 
least a local effect in modif;^'ing climatic conditions. All who 
have worked on hot, sunny days in open fields, or traveled 
.sunny roads know the luxury of shade and that the heat of the 
sun's rays is broken by trees, without being told or having it 
proven to them by scientific tests. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



41 



The effect upon climate of an individual tree is, of course, 
not appreciable; but when trees stand together and form dense 
forests which cover large areas their combined effect is readily 
seen. When rains fall on bare ground the water quickly runs 
off or is evaporated and within a short time after it falls, if the 
sun shines and the wind blows, all signs of it may have disap- 
peared. In the forest it is not so. The water there is caught by 
the living and the decaying vegetation which prevent its rapid 
escape into streams. The trees lessen evaporation by breaking 
the rays of the sun and by retarding the velocity of winds. We 
have in the forest, then, a damp, cool atmosphere which is not 
subject to as rapid changes in temperature and humidity as that 
• on the outside. This great volume of cool air surrounding the 

mass of green leaves of trees and weeds of the woods, acts as an 
equalizer of temperature. The soft winds which come out of 
woodlands during hot, dry days carry the cooler air out into 
the fields. The air which is held under the canopy of tree tops 
remains more uniform in temperature, as has been said, and 
on frosty nights has the effect of warming the air for a consid- 
erable distance in open areas. In lessening the extremes of 
temperature in early spring and late fall and in checking evap- 
oration from cultivated lands the forest exercises two of its 
most important functions for the farmer. 

It is the common testimony of the older inhabitants of 
West Virginia that, as the country has been cleared up, there 
has been a corresponding lengthening of the warmer seasons: 
that in localities where crops of corn would not ripen in former 
years they now mature in ample time to be harvested ; that win- 
ters are shorter and more changeable ; and that both floods and 
drouths occur more frequently. 

The Forest in Its Relation to Animal Life. 

Mammals, birds and insects make up an interesting and im- 
portant part of the life of every forest. Some of them are ben- 
eficial, some are injurious. 

As for the mammals, they do not greatly affect the charac- 
ter of woodlands although they are frequently important agents 



42 



THE UTILITY OF FORESTS. 



in the distribution of nut-bearing trees. The moles and shrews 
are insectivorous and may be of considerable benefit to forests 
in destroying the larvae that infest nuts often to such an ex- 
tent that none of them will germinate. The injury done by 
various mammals in gnawing and scratching the bark from 
young trees in the forest, and in breaking their branches, is 
negligible. The mammals, however, have a great value aside 
from their direct relation to forests — either as enemies or 
friends — as interesting objects for observation and study and 
for their valuable food and fur. The forest as a hiding place 
and home for mammals, then, is the most important considera- 
tion in this connection. 

The value of birds — particularly migratory birds — is forci- 
bly brought out in the quotation given below : 

'*We know that trees are subject to many injuries by rea- 
son of the undue multiplication of the animals that feed upon 
them. The foliage is devoured by insects and other animals; 
the fruit and seeds by insects^ birds, and squirrels; the twigs 
are killed by borers or girdlers ; the bark is eaten by mice, hares, 
squirrels, or porcupines; the trunks are attacked by wood- 
borers, the roots have insect enemies ; even the very life blood, 
the sap, is sucked out by aphids. When we consider well the 
fecundity, voracity, and the consequent great possibilities for 
mischief possessed by their enemies^ we wonder that trees 
survive at all. Still, trees spring up and grow apace. In a 
wooded country a few years of neglect of field and pasture suf- 
fices to clothe them with a growth of bushes and saplings, and 
in time a woodlot succeeds the cleared land. That trees are 
able thus to spring up and grow to maturity without man's 
care is sufficient evidence that they are protected by their nat- 
ural friends from the too injurious inroads of their natural 
enemies. Among these friends birds hold a high place. 

■ ''It is generally believed that there are few birds in the 
deep woods. Travelers have often remarked the scarcity of 
birds in the forest. It is true that usually there are fewer birds, 
both in numbers of species and individuals, in most northern 
forests than in more open or cultivated lands. This is particu- 
larly true of coniferous forests, for such woods harbor fewer 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



43 



insects than deciduous forests^ and so furnish a more meager 
food supply for the birds. Those birds that live and breed in 
the deep woods, however, are especially fitted to destroy the 
tree's enemies. 

*'This care of the trees is kept up throughout the year by 
the ebb and flow of the tide of bird life. In the chill days of 
March and early April, when sunshine and shadow fleck the 
lingering snow, in silent, leafless woods and along swollen 
streams, the lusty Fox Sparrow searches for seeds and for dor- 
mant insects, which only await the warmer sun of April or 
May to emerge from their hiding places and attack the trees. 
This sparrow and its companions, the Tree Sparrow and the 
Junco, soon pass on to the north, making way for the White- 
throats and Thrushes, which continue the good work, to be fol- 
lowed in their turn by other Thrushes and Towhees. Birds are 
not plentiful in the woods in early April, but nevertheless dili- 
gent Titmice, Woodpeckers, Jays, Nuthatches, and Kinglets are 
there and at work. In the warm days of May, when nature has 
awakened from her long winter sleep, when the little, light 
green oak leaves are just opening, when the bright young birch 
leaves decorate, but do not hide the twigs; when every leaflet 
vies with the early flowers in beauty, and every branch upholds 
its grateful offering; when insects which were dormant during 
the earlier days of the year become active, and their swarming 
offspring appear on bud and leaf — then the south wind brings 
the migratory "host of birds which winter near the equator. 
Unnoticed by men, they sweep through the woods, they encom- 
pass the trees ; flight after flight passes along on its way to the 
north, all resting daily in the woods and gleaning insects ere 
they go. No one who has not watched these beautiful birds 
hour after hour and day after day, and who has not listened to 
their multitudinous notes, as, night after night, they have 
passed overhead, can realize the numbers that sweep through 
the woods in the spring and fall migrations."* 

It should be said, also, that a large number of resident 
birds keep up the fight against insects all the year round. 

♦From "Useful Birds and tlieir Protection" by Edward H. 
Forbush. 



44 



THE UTILITY OF FORESTS. 



Among the most important — from this standpoint — of those 
that spend the winter with us are the Downy, Hairy, and Red- 
bellied Woodpeckers, the White-breasted Nuthatch, the Caro- 
lina Chickadee, the Carolina Wren and the Song Sparrow. 

The birds, like the mammals, or even more than they, have 
a very great value apart from their economic relation to for- 
ests; and the protection of forests as a nesting place for birds 
appeals to nearly all people. 

The Forest in Its Relation to the Character of the People. 

That there has been a great change in the character of the 
people — especially rural people within the past 100 years — or 
even in the past 50 years, all ^^ill admit. That the changes 
have always been from worse to better is not so easily agreed 
upon. 

There have doubtless been not a few but a very great num- 
ber of tilings which have brought about the changes ; but cer- 
tainly among them, as one of the chief, must be placed the cir- 
cumstances that have grown out of the rapid development of 
our natural resources. During a comparatively few years near- 
ly the whole population which originally earned its living from 
the ground has been pushed out from places of seclusion into 
a whirl of modern industry. When the railroads and the saw 
mills came in they brought with them a different class of people 
whose manners and language were readily adopted by the 
younger people. Thousands of young men were induced to en- 
ter mines, factories and logging camps where they were thrown 
into intimate association with a rough, drifting, foreign ele- 
ment. It is a frequent and just complaint of farmers in our 
own state that their sons have left the farms at a time when 
they were most needed and have taken up other lines of work 
in lumbering and mining sections and in the towns: that the 
neglected farms have grown up in briers : that the young men 
have become wholly dissatisfied with the work in which they 
once took an interest; and that a spirit of selfishness and cool- 
headed business has taken the place of the hospitality that once 
prevailed. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 45 

The industries mentioned have frequently reduced regions 
which abounded in beautiful forest scenery into unattractive 
and ugly wastes of land. This has had an effect, and will con- 
tinue to have an effect, upon the character of the inhabitants. 
A certain amount of development of natural resources of any 
country or any state must be expected and should be desired; 
but unrestricted industries should not be permitted to disfigure 
and ruin the appearance of the regions of their operations be- 
yond all hope of repair. J. H. McFarland, President of the 
American Ci^dc Association^ declares that "The true glory of 
the United States must rest and has rested upon a deeper found- 
ation than that of her purely material resources. It is the love of 
country that lights and keeps giov\'ing the holy fire of patriot- 
ism. And this love is excited, primarily, by the beauty of the 
country." The devastated, fire-blighted regions of our state 
which have been abandoned in past years to the greed of care- 
less exploiters, could not possibly awaken in any one the slight- 
est flicker of patriotism or admiration or any of the finer feel- 
ings. There are no ''books in rimning brooks" which are foul 
with the pollution of mines and mills, and there are no 
"sermons in stones" that have been laid bare by forest fires. 
"The tree has ever been the symbol of life, strength, beauty, 
and of rest, and the eye of man cannot continue to look day 
after day, upon these stately God-given queens of nature with- 
out their beauty being reflected in his life, making him a 
healthier, happier and a better man, and their destruction 
means not only the removal of one of our most desirable natural 
resources, from a practical and utilitarian standpoint, but from 
the viewpoint of health, morality, spirituality, and beauty, 
their loss would be without remedy." 

As long as the beauty and grandeur of primitive forest 
scenery is preserved it will have a powerful influence in shap- 
ing the character of people. All men are imitators to a certain 
degree, whether or not they are conscious of it or desire it, and 
become more or less like the persons or even the inanimate 
things with which they associate or are surrounded. The great 
forest which surrounded the homes of the pioneers left an in- 
delible mark on their characters. It affected every act of their 



46 



THE UTILITY OF FORESTS. 



lives. Its influence was manifested in their manners and cus 
tLQiis and conA'ersation. It made men more thouglitful and less 
talkative and superficial; it furnished the inspiration for many 
of their great works of prose and poetr^' ; and it breathed into 
them a spirit of freedom and independence. 

Every city has its parks which were made and are kept 
up largely for their artistic beauty. Xo one should underesti- 
mate the value of woodlands which are maintained for their 
esthetic effects. Those whose lives must be largely spent on 
paved streets between walls of buildings find a complete and 
refreshing change in the shaded parks and are benefitted to the 
extent of their power to appreciate such surroundings. Nat- 
ural forests, where there is no touch of the artificial, have a 
greater effect upon character; and what the parks are in a 
small way the virgin forests are in a much larger way. 

]\Iany persons do not know the forest nor understand its 
meaning. It has been said that no one can really know the 
forest without feeling the gentle influence of one of the kindli- 
est and strongest parts of nature. Neither those persons wHo 
regard it as a collection of standing timber which can be meas- 
ured and sawed into lumber, nor those who look upon it as a 
place overgrown with thickets of thorns and populated with 
dangerous and repulsive reptiles, insects, and other animals, 
nor yet those who claim to admire it from a distance and speak 
of it in terms of false sentiment, have really known it. To 
know the forest it is requisite that one should live in it, eat and 
sleep in it, drink water from its springs, gather fruits from its 
Yiaes and trees, climb its mountains, follow its trails, and 
bathe in its streams ; that one should know something of the 
creatures that live in it; and that one shoifld imbibe its spirit. 

Upon some the forest has a fascinating effect — an influence 
that cannot be expressed in word^. but which is capable of 
driving out every frivolous thought and stirring every deep 
emotion. Those persons will know what this inexpressible in- 
fluence is who have sat alone upon some mossy boulder or fallen 
tree trunk in a remote forest, or have awakened at the dead of 
night and watched the shadows that were cast by the light of a 
low-flickering camp fire and listened to the weird, htmian-like 



WEST VffiGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



47 



calls of the barred owl, to the rustle of the leaves which were 
stirred by some night-prowling animal, and to that most melan- 
choly but most inspiring music that is made by a gentle wind 
playing among the branches of trees. There are those who feel 
that our forests are something more than a "business proposi- 
tion" and who deplore their destruction as much for their in- 
fluence as for their economic value. 



CHAPTER IV. 



THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OF FORESTS. 



When forests once become established over certain areas 
they continue as a rule, under natural conditions, without much 
change from year to year. There are, of course, spasmodic out- 
breaks of insects and other animal enemies of trees, brought on 
by some unusual occurrence, and there are wind storms and 
hail storms which throw the trees and injure their foliage, and 
there are occasional fires set by lightning ; but, on the whole, as 
the forests are renewed, the old trees dying off and the young 
ones springing up to take their places, there is but little apparent 
change. The natural variation in the general character of for- 
ests occurs not by years or decades but by centuries and ages. 

In an undisturbed state the forest and all its forms of life, 
both animal and vegetable, are held in an almost perfect bal- 
ance by natural laws. Almost every plant and animal which 
reaches maturity comes up through an uncertain early life, 
taking chances with thousands of its kind, and continues to live 
in danger to the end. Each species is restricted within certain 
bounds. When it overreaches them its special requirements for 
food, heat, light and moisture act as a check. When it in- 
creases abnormally it creates favorable conditions for the multi- 
plication of its natural enemies. The enemies of one plant or 
anim-al have, in turn, their o^vn enemies, and so on indefinitely. 
There is, therefore, a continual balancing and adjusting of 
conditions and species, which results from the operation of the 
law above referred to. 

When men take hold and begin to clear away the trees, 
reducing one species and providing for the increase of another, 
the whole well-regulated system is thrown out of order. Plants 
spread out of their places and become weeds ; harmless mammals 
become pests; and injurious insects multiply and destroy crops. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



49 



Men themselves, then, not only become direct destructive agents, 
by clearing land, by cutting down the trees for their lumber, 
and by setting out fires, but in so doing they become indirectly 
responsible for injuries done by fungi, insects^ and other de- 
stroying agents. 

CLEARINGS. 

All land cannot be used for the same purpose. Some will 
produce one crop and some another. Land that is adapted to 
the growing of corn may not be good wheat land; and that 
which will produce peaches may not produce vegetables. It is 
certain that a large quantity of land in West Virginia will not 
grow successfully any of the ordinary farm and garden crops. 
It is fortunate, however, that practically every acre that is un- 
fit for other crops will produce trees of a valuable sort, or was 
capable at one time of producing them. It is the part of land 
owners to discover the most profitable use to which their lands 
can be devoted and then to put into actual practice what they 
have discovered. Anything short of this is mistreatment of the 
land and a reflection on the intelligence of its owner. If an 
area is most profitable for the growing of apples or grapes then 
it should be used for those purposes ; if it is more profitable for 
growing grain, or truck, or grass than for any other crop, then 
it is clear what use should be made of it ; and it is no less true 
that if land is most valuable as a producer of forest products 
and as a protector of soils and streams, it should be kept in 
woods and as carefully tended and protected as if it were in 
corn. 

It can truthfully be stated that a great many acres have 
been cultivated by the farmers of West*Virginia that should 
never have been cleared. Numerous farms with from 30 to 100 
acres can easily be found which do not contain a half dozen 
acres of land suitable for the growing of cultivated crops or for 
grazing. In such cases the farmers are not excusable for their 
destruction of timber although the motive may have been good. 
Those who have tried to cultivate such land have had hard 
work to live and their lives have been a burden to them. There 
is enough rich and easily tilled land in West Virginia to pro- 
4 



50 



THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OF FORESTS. 



duce all that is needed at home of grains, fruits and vegetables, 
and much besides, provided it is intelligently farmed. 

It is not to be regretted that the good agricultural lands " 
have been cleared. The state could never have had an exist- 
ence without such improvement. The fertile land, it is true, 
contained the finest timber in the largest quantities, but much 
of it was cleared in an early day when logs and lumber could 
not be sold at any price. Their owners would have been glad 
of a chance to give them away. The destruction of timber un- 
der such circumstances cannot fairly be considered as a waste. 
"The farmer needed the land and no one wanted the timber.*' 
Room had to be made for buildings and the growing of farm 
crops or settlement would, of course, have been impossible. 
After the pioneer had selected a building site the next thing m 
order was to cut down trees; and every acre that was added to 
the opening meant the felling of thousands of feet of timber. 
A little of this timber only could be used. Selected logs were 
used for the walls of the house; others were split into punch- 
eons and boards for floor and roof ; and some were used for fuel, 
for fencing, and for other domestic purposes. All the rest was 
rolled into heaps and burned. 

Just how much timber has been destroyed by the farmers 
of the state will never be known, and it is certain that we would 
be little better off if exact data regarding this were obtainable. 
In the light of the present high prices of lumber, however, the 
subject of this early destruction becomes an interesting one. 
There are persons in almost every community who can refer to 
a time easily within their recollection when walnut and poplar 
trees, which would now be worth hundreds of dollars, were used 
for making fences or were burned and their ashes scattered to 
enrich the land. 

On the supposition that the forests of West Virginia 120 
years ago contained 150 billion feet of timber, and that an equal 
amount had been added by growth since that time, the Report 
of the West Virginia Conservation Commission gives the follow- 
ing approximate figures to show how much timber remained in 
1908 and what had become of the balance : 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



51 



Items. Feet Board Measure. 

Timber used for fence rails in 120 years 4,275,000,000 

Farm timber other than fencing, prior to 1880 . . 1,000,000,000 
Construction of wooden houses in towns prior 

to 1880 500,000,000 

Fuel in 120 years 10,000,000,000 

Quantity now in forests 30,000,000,000 

Lumber cut since 1879 15,419,500,000 

Quantity wasted 238,805,500,000 

Total 300,000,000,000 

Only one item, the lumber cut since 1879 is from the rec- 
ords. The others are given approximately, as has been stated. 

FOREST FIRES. 

The forest has, perhaps^ no worse enemy than fire. The 
losses from this cause are complete and far-reaching. Mature 
timber is burned in large quantities; the young and promising 
undergrowth is consumed; standing trees are made subject to 
attack by insects and fungi ; the animal life of the woods is de- 
stroyed ; the beauty of landscapes is marred ; lives and property 
of all kinds are endangered ; streams are dried up ; and often 
the very soil itself is consumed. 

The work of preventing and controlling forest fires forms 
the cheif work of those who have the care of forests in charge. 
The Government incurs great expense in its efforts to stamp out 
this curse from the National Forests in the west; every state is 
confronted with the problem of its control ; and all lumber com- 
panies, coal companies, and other owners of wooded lands must 
sustain frequent and serious losses from this cause. 

*'The fire has destroyed billions of feet of timber in West 
Virginia. The loss has increased as forests have decreased, and 
for apparent reasons. There seems to have been little loss in 
the early years of settlement. Travelers and writers of that 
time who were familiar with the countrj^ seldom mention fire; 
and there is little evidence to be found in the condition of the 
woods to show that fires did much damage. Old ''bums" — that 



52 



THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OF FORESTS. 



means tracts of timber killed by fire — were few and small fifty 
years ago. Early chronicles occasionally speak of tracts on 
which timber was thrown by wind, but they are so uniformly 
silent as to fire that the conclusion is logical that forest confla- 
grations were rare. It is natural that they should be, for set- 
tlements were few and far apart, and fires seldom start except 
near improvements. Lightning has been known to start fire, 
but not often in a climate like West Virginia. It is highly prob- 
able that the almost unbroken woods of former times were damp- 
er than the fragmentary forests of today, and fire would burn 
more slowly then. It is not known to a certainty that rain was 
more abundant, but it is probable that between a more copious 
precipitation and the unbroken shade which hindered the dry- 
ing process, the average dampness of the woods was much more 
pronounced than at present. 

" The wholesale destruction by fire of the softwood forests 
(cone-bearing trees) began about the time of the civil war. The 
largest single burn is that which extends along the summit and 
sides of the Alleghany mountain, nearly unbroken, from the 
head of the Greenbrier river through Pendleton, Eandolph, 
Grant and Tucker counties. The opening was begun by a fire 
which spread from the camp of confederate scouts on the Eoar- 
ing Plains, of Eandolph county. It has been enlarging ever 
since. Many destructive and spectacular conflagrations have 
occurred in the region, the most formidable being that which 
swept the eastern side of Alleghany mountain on the head- 
waters of Big creek in Pendleton county. Eye witnesses have 
stated that the flames overtopped the tallest pines and ad- 
vanced ten miles an hour. 

''Apparently, the pine forests have suffered most from 
fire, but in reality the damage to the hardwoods (broad-leaf 
trees) has been more in the aggregate, because covering much 
more country. The undergrowth is often destroyed, and this 
kills the forest which would be productive a century hence. A 
bad pine-wood fire may kill old and young, all at once, while 
in a hardwood forest one must look forward a hundred years 
to see the full injury — ^perhaps a thousand years would not be 



^^^^ * 



WEST VIRGmiA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



53 



time enough to show it all where the humus of the soil has been 
burned out. 

"The manner in which fire destroys the foundation on 
which a forest grows is apparent from an examination of 
changes in the soil on the Alleghany summit and neighboring 
ranges where the woods have ceased to exist, and that one case 
is typical of many, and in a lesser degree of all. Over much of 
that territory the foundation on which the forest stood was a 
mass of broken and split rocks^ and beneath that the solid 
rock. Trees had found an anchorage for their roots, and for 
centuries the decaying needles and leaves had been falling into 
and filling the cavities among the stones. Mosses and lichens 
had grown and decayed. Each season added a little to the soil, 
and the accumulation of organic substances, with the mat of 
living moss, covered the underlying rocks to a depth of from 
one to three feet. This mass of vegetable matter, with the 
fragments of broken rocks beneath, was a soil in process of 
formation — a new soil just coming into existence. Had the 
process gone on a sufficient length of time, a deep, agricultural 
soil would probably have been the result, though ages might 
be required to do the work. The opinion has been expressed 
by Chamberlain that ten thousand years may be required to 
form one foot of mineral soil. A thing so valuable^ and so 
slow in making, ought not be carelessly destroyed. 

"In the case of the mountain tracts alluded to, the process 
of soil building was cut short by fire. The work of centuries 
was undone in a few days, and the moss and vegetable matter 
covering the rocks were consumed. The trees quickly died and 
were thrown by the wind, becoming food for future fires which 
completed the destruction. What little mineral soil there was, 
was washed into deep cavities by rain, and large tracts became 
treeless, and almiost without soil. That is their condition now. 
Reforestation will be slow and difficult, for the whole process 
of soil building must be gone over again in some places. 

"Fortunately, the area of excessive denudation is small in 
comparison with the whole state. It lies chiefly on the high, 
stony mountains. But fires have done immense damage over 
wide regions lower down. The hardwoods (broad-leaf trees) 



54 



THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OF FORESTS. 



occupy the principal part of the state, and fires run through 
them at intervals. There is usually a deep, mineral soil, and 
fire does not get dovm to the rock as it often does on the moun- 
tain tops. But it injures the soil. The vegetable matter, which 
furnishes plant food, is burned out. The seedlings and sprouts 
are killed. The mature trees may seem to escape unharmed, but 
they seldom do. Insects and fungi enter through the injured 
bark, and decay begins. A profuse crop of sprouts usually suc- 
ceeds a fire among hardwoods, and the sprouts might become 
trees if let alone ; but other fires follow. At length the mature 
timber disappears — ^by natural decay or lumber operations — 
and a jungle of worthless scrub brush is apt to be all that re- 
mains. 

''Such is a familiar sight in many parts of West Yirginia. 
It is due to repeated fires which not only kill the young growth 
but burn out the soil's fertility." 

Forest Fire Statistics. 

"During the fall of 1908 more complete data regarding 
forest fires in the state were compiled than ever before. It was 
done by the United States Forest Service as a part of the gen- 
eral work along that line all over the country. Though more 
complete than any similar statistics for West Virginia, there 
is reason to believe that in many particulars all the facts were 
not ascertained. 

''The first serious fire occurred August 28, and from that 
time there was no cessation for three months. Every county in 
the state was visited by fire, but in some instances only a few 
acres were burned. The total number of fires reported was 
710 ; the number of- men called out to fight was 5821 ; the cost 
to the county treasuries, so far as reported, was $646 ; the ex- 
pense incurred in fighting fire by individuals and companies 
was $89,100; the area burned was 1,703,850 acres; the stand- 
ing timber burned was 943,515,000 feet, board measure, worth 
$2,903,500. The lumber, tan-bark, and improvements burned 
were valued at $490.175 ; the injury to undergrowth and soil 
was placed at $1,703,850, and the loss from forest fires in the 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



55 



state made the grand total of $5,097,825. More than one-tenth 
of the whole surface of the state was burned over, and one-fifth 
of the forest area. Three per cent of the estimated standing 
timber in West Virginia was destroyed, including the small as 
well as the large; and the amount burned was two-thirds as 
much as the cut of all the mills in the state in 1907. 

*'As to the origin of fires, 71 per cent were from locomo- 
tives, 20 per cent from saw mills and campers, 3 per cent set 
to improve the range for live stock, 2 per cent incendiary, and 
4 per cent from other causes."* 

The forest fire statistics, as collected by J. A. Viquesney, 
Forest, Game and Fish "Warden of West Virginia, for 1909, 
are as follows: 

Number of fires 70. 

Number acres burned over 94,322. 

Value of timber destroyed $107,053.10. 

Amount spent in fighting fires 1,305.76. 



A comparison of the losses by fire in the two years, as 
given above, will show to what extent the recently-enacted fire 
laws have proven valuable even before the system provided for 
has been thoroughly organized. It should be stated, however, 
I that the season of 1908 was exceptionally dry and favorable in 
every way for the spread of forest fires. 

Prevention and Control of Forest Fires. 



Fire in forests cannot be controlled absolutely. Even the 
areas that are guarded best sometimes suffer. The appalling 
losses in the National and other forests of the Northwest dur- 
ing the present season have shown that too much vigilance is 
impossible. 

Forest fires are of three different classes according to the 
places where they burn. Surface fires run over the ground, 
burning the leaves, brush, and all manner of litter; ground 
fires burn more slowly, eating their way through the humus- 



♦Report of West Virginia Conservation Commission. 



56 



THE DESTRUCTI^^ AGENTS OP FORESTS. 



filled soil itself; and crown fires burn through the treetops. 

Cro^vn fires are confined entirely to softwood forests, and 
hence have occurred in West Virginia only along the moun- 
tains where there were pure stands of spruce^ hemlock and 
other trees of that character. The destructive effects of such 
fires have already been referred to. In most cases the crown 
fires have started from surface fires, and these have often been 
followed in our high mountains by fires that burned the soil. 
Practically all the fires in the state have been those that burned 
the litter on the surface. 

The means of preventing and extinguishing fires are many 
and varied. It is better, of course, to prevent a fire than to 
extinguish it, for even small and seemingly harmless fires do 
much indirect damage to mature trees and often kill the young 
seedlings. The best policy, then, is to see that the common 
causes of fires are reduced to the minimum by every possible 
means. If sparks from locomotives and saw mills are allowed 
to scatter broadcast^ if persons who travel through the woods, 
carelessly or maliciously setting fire to it, are allowed to go 
unpunished, and if no effort is made to lessen the amount of 
dangerous, inflammable litter in exposed places, then all tlie 
fire-fighting force that can be mustered may not be able to keep 
down losses from this cause. If the people of West Virginia 
will stand by the law which is already enacted for the suppres- 
sion of fires they will be suppressed ; for all the citizens of any 
state working in co-operation can make sure that the common 
causes of fires are eliminated. 

But no state has been able to reach all the fires in time to 
stop them before they were under headway. A few states, 
recognizing the value of promptness, have established and 
equipped lookout stations in order that forest fires may be dis- 
covered and extinguished before they have spread into danger- 
ous proportions. It has been found out that guards are as nec- 
essary in forests as night watchmen are about greatly exposed 
buildings. The commoner means of fighting fires that are un- 
der way are by back-firing and by clearing strips of ground of 
all inflammable materials in advance of the fires. Water and 



WEST VffiGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



57 



chemicals are sometimes employed. Fire lines are frequently 
kept up as barriers, and roads, trails, and streams are used as 
places of attack. 

THE LUMBER INDUSTRY. 
Types of Saw Mills. 

There have been three general types of saw mills used in 
West Virginia. These are the sash, or up-and-down, mill, oper- 
ated by water-power; the portable mill, using a circular saw 
and operated by steam; and the stationary band saw mill. All 
of these have had various modifications. The "muley saw" 
was only slightly different from the ordinary sash saw, but with 
a faster stroke. Portable saw mills of almost every description 
have been used — some with heavy machinery and a capacity of 
from 10 to 15 thousand feet per day, and some with parts so 
light that they could be hauled over the steepest mountain 
roads. The band mills are provided with one, two, or even 
three band saws; some have double-cut bands, some have pony 
saws, some have re-saws^ others gang saws, and so on. 

A rude, hand-operated device known as a whip saw, was 
used in an early day before and with the sash saw. The con- 
trivance is thus described in Kercheval's History of the Yslley 
of Virginia: 

"The whip saw was about the length of the common mill 
saw (referring to the sash saw used in water mills) with a 
handle at each end transversely fixed to it. The timber intend- 
ed to be sawed was first squared with the broad axe, and then 
raised on a scaffold six or seven feet high. Two able-bodied 
men then took hold of the saw, one standing on top of the log 
and the other under it. ' ' The author of this history adds fur- 
ther on — "The labo.r was excessively fatiguing, and about 100 
feet of plank or scantling was considered a good day's work for 
two hands." 

These saws have long gone out of use in most parts of West 
Virginia. It is stated, however, that they have been employed 
to some extent in the sparsely settled districts of our southern 
counties within the last five years. 



58 



THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OF FORESTS. 



Progress of the Lumber Industry. 

It is not known when or where the first saw mill was built 
and operated in West Virginia. It is probable, however, that 
there were a few built by the early settlers who occupied the 
valleys of the Potomac river and its tributaries prior to the 
year 1755. No records have been examined that confirm or 
deny this statement, but it is reasonably safe to say that there 
were a dozen rude water mills in the territory now occupied 
by Jefferson, Berkeley, Morgan, Hampshire, Hardy, Grant and 
Pendleton counties as early as 1775, and that the number had 
increased to five or six times as many by the year 1800. There 
may have been more at each date. A record dated in the year 
1810 states that there were about 50 saw mills running in 
Berkeley county alone at that time. 

Those who left the settlements on the Potomac and 
other settlements in the east and north to take up lands and 
establish homes west of the AUeghanies had doubtless become 
familiar with the water saw mill and knew its value, but many 
of them journeyed such a distance that it was not possible for 
them to take anything so cumbersome as machinery of this kind. 
As soon as roads could be cut through the wilderness, however, 
among the first things to be hauled over them were the clumsy 
irons of these mills, which were taken farther west, year after 
year, until they reached the Ohio river. "We find that there was 
a flourishing colony established on the Monongahela river as 
early as 1758; that there was a settlement containing 5,000 
people on the Ohio river near Wheeling in 1769 ; that colonies 
were established at Parkersburg in 1773, and at Point Pleasant 
in 1776. During the decade between 1770 and 1780 settlements 
were begun in a number of places along the Cheat river in 
Preston and Tucker counties; along the Tygarts Yalley river 
in Randolph; along the Monongahela and its West Fork and 
Tygarts Yalley tributaries in the whole region now embraced 
by the counties of Monongalia, Marion, Taylor, Harrison^ Bar- 
bour, Lewis and Upshur. During the same period, or slightly 
earlier in some cases, settlements were established on the Green- 
brier river in Pocahontas and Greenbrier counties, and in the 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



59 



plateau and valley lands of Monroe county. Saw mills were 
brought to the settlements nearest the mountains first, but the 
dates given above are only a little in advance of the saw mills 
in any case. In fact, if we were to continue as above, to traje 
the progressive settlements step by step, from the very first up 
to the year 1880, we would have a reasonably accurate history 
of the progress of these mills. 

The first saw mill west of the mountains is said to have 
been built near the town of St. George in Tucker county by 
John Minear in the year 1776. This was a sash saw mill and 
stood on Mill run, a small tributary of Cheat river. 

The Gazetteer of Virginia and the District of Columbia, 
written by Joseph Martin, contains one of the first available 
lists of saw mills in what is now West Virginia. According to 
this there were 40 or more water saw mills running in 1835. 
These were distributed among the counties as follows: 





8 mills. 




1 mill. 




1 mill. 


Wood 


2 mills. 






Fayette 


2 mills. 








9 mills. 




6 mills. 




2 mills. 



It is stated in The West Virginia Hand Book and Immi- 
grants' Guide (J. H. Diss Debar, 1870) that ''As late as 1860 
Ji of the lumber consumed in the state and exported, was manu- 
factured by water-power.'' 

The most extensive sash saw mill operations in the state 
were conducted on Middle Island creek in Pleasants, Tyler and 
Doddridge counties. Further mention is made of these opera- 
tions, under the counties mentioned, in Chapter Six. 

In one sense this old-time industry was of more actual ben- 
efit to the citizens of the state than that carried on with modern 



60 



THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OP FORESTS. 



mills more recently. The mills were easily set up and kept in 
running order. Power cost nothing except the labor of building 
dams and races and keeping them in repair. The lumber sawed 
was used to the last foot and nothing was wasted. Only the 
good, mature trees were cut, and all the young growth was left 
undisturbed. 

"We know as little of the first portable saw mills as we do of 
the first water-power mills. Full history at this time would be 
impossible. Local historians, with one or two exceptions, have 
remained silent regarding this industry, and all that can now be 
learned must be laboriously obtained from a few imperfect re- 
cords and from the older citizens of the state who engaged in the 
lumber industry many years ago. 

According to Martin's list there were 15 steam saw mills in 
operation in the counties that now constitute West Virginia in 
1835. These he gives as follows : 



Brooke 1 mill. 

Jefferson 1 mill. 

Kanawha 2 mills. 

Mason 1 mill. 

Monroe 1 mill. 

MK)nongalia 6 mills. 

Ohio 2 mills. 

Wood 1 mill. 



The increase in number of portable mills was not rapid 
during the first 30 or 40 years after their introduction. A few 
experiments were sufficient to show that the industry was not 
profitable in cases where the mills and lumber had to be hauled 
long distances on wagons. For this reason most of the early 
steam mills were built within easy reach of streams which 
afforded an outlet for their products. 

With the coming of railroads, however, mills of this kind 
began to multiply rapidly. The new towns that grew up along 
these roads required a large amount of rough lumber for the 
hastily built houses, and it was usually possible to locate mills 
near by. In 1870 J. H. Diss Debar wrote: Along both 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



61 



branches of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, from twenty to 
thirty first class mills are cutting on an average 3,000 feet of 
lumber per day." And so it was along practically all other 
railroads as they were built from time to time. A few came at 
first and these were soon followed by many others as mentioned 
in the quotation above. Just as the old water mills followed 
closely the first settlements, supplying the lumber for floors and 
ceiling in the log houses and for the construction of the first 
frame dwellings, so the portable mills followed the newer settle- 
ments as they were established along the lines of railroad. 

Below are given dates of the opening of the principal rail- 
roads in West Virginia. These dates, as has been suggested, 
correspond in most cases with the beginning of active portable 
saw mill operations in the different localities: 



BALTIMORE AND OHIO RAILROAD. 



WINCHESTER & POTOMAC RAILROAD Miles. 
Harpers Perry to Swimley, Va,, .... 20.21 



Date. 
1836 



B. & O. MAIN LINE 

Harpers Ferry to Wheeling, 



248.25 Jan 



1, 1853 



BENWOOD BRIBGB 

Benwood Jet. to low water mark on 
• Ohio side, 



1.41 



PARIOERSBURG BRANCH 

Grafton to Parkersburg, 
Parkersburg Bridge, . . , 



103 .13 
.82 



1857 



WHEELING, PITTSBURG & BALTIMORE RAILROAD 

West Alexander, Pa. to Wheeling, 

W. Va., 14.41 



1857 



WEST VIRGINIA & PITTSBURG RAILROAD 

Clarksburg to Rich wood 12 0.99 



Pickens Branch, 

McPelah Jet. to Pickens, 



50.51 



Suttom Branch, 

Flatwoods to Sutton, 



5.63 



Total mileage W. Va. & Pittsburg 

R. R., 177.13 



1879 



62 THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OF FORESTS. 

OHIO RIVER RAHiROAD \ 

Benwood Jet. to west bank of Guyan- 

dotte river, 207. 82 

J Wheeling to Parkersburg 90 mis., . . June 16, 1884 I 

] Parkersburg to Point Pleasant 79 mis., Jan. 1, 1887 ( 

HUNTINGTON AND BIG SANDY RAILROAD 

West Bank of Guyandotte river to 

Kenova, 10.92 1892 

RAVENSWOOD, SPENCER & GLENVILLE RAILROAD 

R. S. & G. Jet. to Spencer, 32,40 Jan. 4, 1892 

RIPI/EY & MILL CREEK VALLEY RAILROAD 

Millwood Jet. to Ripley, 13.00 1888 

PAW PAW RAILROAD 

Bellview to Gray's Flats 7.30 1902 

PATTERSON CREEK & POTOMAC RAILROAD 

Patterson Creek to McKensie, 5.42 1903 

HARDMAN BRANCH 

Hardman, W. Va. to Coal Co.'s mines, 1 .40 1901 

RACCOON VALLEY BRANCH 

Newburg to Austin 2.89 

Gorman Extension .81 3.70 1908 

BAKER BRANCH 

Engle to Aulls, 4.13 1879 

FROG HOLLOW BRANCH 

Martinsburg to Standard Lime & 

Stone Co.'s Quarries, 2.64 1887 

CHERRY RUN & POTOMAC RAILROAD 

Cherry Run to Berkeley Springs, ... 13. 92 1903 

BERKELEY SPRINGS & POTOMAC RAILROAD 

Hancoek to Berkeley Springs, 5.95 1888 

SOUTH BRANCH RAILROAD 

Green Spring to Romney, 16.10 Sept. 1, 1884 

GRAFTON & BELINGTON RAILROAD 

Grafton to Belington, 41.47 
Berryburg Br., Hackers 

Cr. Jet. to Berryburg, 4.66... 46.13 1884 

FAIRMONT, MORGANTOWN & PITTSBURG RAILROAD 

F. M. & P. Jet. to Morgantown 26.00 1886 

Morgantown to Pa. State Line 7.83 1895 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



63 



POINT PLEASANT, BUCKHANNON & TYGARTS VALLEY 



RAILROAD 

Tygart's Jet. to Buckhannon, 16.60 

Burnersville Br., Lemley Jet., to 

Century, 5.09 1904 

MONONGAHELA RIVER RAILROAD 

W. Va. & Pittsburg Jet. to Gaston Jet., 30 .24 Aug. 1, 1890 

WEST VIRGINIA SHORT LINE RAILROAD 

Brooklyn Jet. to Short Line Jet., ... 58.00 
Pigott's Run Braneh, Lumberport to. 

Sta. 64-65, 1.22 1900 



CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO RAILROAD. 

Date of opening. 



MAIN LINE C. & O. RAILROAD 

Allegheny to Huntington, 1873 

• Huntington to Big Sandy River, 1881 

CABIN CREEK BRANCH 

Cabin Creek Jet. to Acme, 1890 

Extension to Lawson, 1906 

LOUP CREEK BRANCH 

Thurmond to MeDonald 1891 

GAULEY BRANCH 

Gauley Jet. to Vaughan, 1892 

PINEY CREEK BRANCH 

Prinee to Raleigh, 1899 

Extension to Lester, 1905 

Extension to Sullivan, 1908 

GUYANDOT BRANCH 

Barboursville to Midkiff, 190 0 

ETxtension to Logan, 1904 

Extension to Ethel, 1906 

GREENBRIER DIVISION 

Whitcomb to Cass 1901 

Extension to Durbin, 1902 

Extension to Winterburn, 190 5 

PAINT CREEK BRANCH 

Extension to Rattlesnake Draft, 1906 

COAL RIVER BRANCH 

St. Albans to Madison, 1907 

Extension to Clothier 1909 



64 



THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OP FORESTS. 



NORFOLK AND WESTERN RAILROAD, 



Date of opening. 



MAIN LINE OF N. & W. RAILROAD 

Completed to Charlestown, Jefferson Co., 
Completed to Bluefield, Mercer Co., . . . . 



1879 
1883 



WIDEMOUTH BRANCH 

Main Line to Wenonah 1904 

TUG FORK BRANCH 

Completed to above Pageton, 1909 

CLEAR FORK BRANCH 

In McDowell County, April, 190 5 

DRY FORK BRANCH 

Completed to Cranebrake, March, 1906 

OHIO EXTENSION 

(Road including Welch, Williamson, Wayne and 

Ceredo.) Nov. 1892 

KENOVA AND BIG SANDY LINE 

Naugatuck to Kenova, Dec. 1904 



KANAWHA AND MICHIGAN RAILROAD. 



Date of opening. 



MAIN LINE 

Point Pleasant to Charleston, 

Charleston to Gauley, 



1882 

Aug. 1893 



THE WESTERN MARYLAND RAILROAD. 



Date of opening. 



MAIN LINE 

Piedmont to Davis, .... 
Extended to Parsons, . . 
Extended to Elkins, . . . . 
Extended to Belington, . 
Extended to Huttonsville, 



1887 
1889 
1890 
1891 
1898 



Coal & Iron Branch, 

Elkins to Durbin, . 



Aug. 1903 



COAL AND COKE RAILROAD. 



Date of opening. 



MAIN LINE 

(Begun at Charleston, 1893.) 

Charleston to Clay, 

Extended to Gassaway and Sago, 
Branch to Coalton, 



.Jan. 1897 
Sept. 1904 
1903 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



65 



VIRGINIAN RAILROAD. 



Date of opening. 

• MAIN LINE 

Deepwater to Robson, 1898 

Robson to Princeton, Sept. 24, 1908 

Princeton to Virginia line, Oct. 7, 1908 



MORGANTOWN AND KINGWOOD RAILROAD. 

Date of opening. 

MAIN LINE 

Opened for short distance out of Morgantown, Sept. 20, 1899 

Opened to Masontown, Sept. 28, 1902 

Opened to Kingwood, .Mar. 12, 1906 

Completed to M. & K. Jet., July 8, 1907 

The first band saw mills were built in West Virginia between 
the years 1880 and 1885. Deveraux Lumber Company's mill 
built at Charleston in 1881, was probably the first. Two years 
later J. R. Huffman^ the inventor of the band saw, built two 
large mills at Charleston. The St. Lawrence Boom & Manufac- 
turing Company erected a band mill at Eonceverte in 1884 ; and 
the Blackwater Boom & Lumber Company erected one at Davis 
in 1887. Others of the older mills were those of Hulings Lum- 
ber Company, at Hambleton ; Gauley Lumber Company, at Cam- 
den-on-Gauley ; Parkersburg Mill Company, at Parkersburg; 
and Pardee & Curtain Lumber Company, at Grafton. 

The band saw mills in West Virginia have probably 
reached their m.aximum number and production. Thirty years 
ago there was not a mill of this type in the state. Noav there 
are eighty-three. Thirty years hence they will be gone. The 
figures given below show the rapid development of the band 
saw industry and its no' less rapid decline from this date. 



Date. Number hand saw mills tn operation. 

1880 0 

1885 4 

1890 9 

1895 13 

1900 23 

1905 46 

1910 83 

5 



66 THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OF FORESTS. 

Date. , Approximate number of hand saw 

mills that will he running. 

1915 41 

1920 23 

1925 9 

1930 5 

1935 3 

1940 0 



There are three or four band saw mills being erected at this 
date, and it is probable that a few others will be built within 
the next 5 years. The number, however, will be small, as nearly- 
all the large tracts of available timber are in the hands of 
operators. 

The amount of timber cut in the various operations con- 
nected with the lumber industry could not be accurately esti- 
mated. The cut of saw mills during the past 30 years has been 
about 18 billion feet. It is not known how much was cut before 
that time, nor how much was rafted out in the log, nor how 
much was cut for hoop-poles, cross ties, tan-bark, pulp wood, 
poles, etc., but the quantity was very large. 

Such facts in detail as have been learned regarding the 
various phases of the lumber industry in the state are given in 
the county discussions. A further inquiry into this subject 
would bring out many additional and interesting facts of com- 
mercial history. 

DISEASES OF FOREST TREES AND WOOD-DE- 
STROYING FUNGI. 

Extent and General Results of Disease. 

The life of trees, like the life of animals, is shortened by 
disease. Some species resist disease more readily than others 
but not one has been found that is wholly free from it through 
all the stages of its life. Some trees, it would seem, are subject 
to many kinds of diseases. These are constantly struggling 
against conditions which interfere with their normal growth 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



67 



SO that they seldom reach maturity unscarred. Other species 
are less frequently attacked and may attain maturity in com- 
parative perfect health. The extent to which trees are infected 
frequently varies with their age. Those that are young and 
vigorous are in little danger from fungi and insects that usually 
enter through broken limbs or wounded bark. The diseases 
which work upon the surface, however, sometimes find the most 
favorable ' conditions for their rapid growth in the tender 
foliage and twigs of seedlings. There comes a time in the life 
of every tree when growth practically ceases. It is then, when 
its vitality is low and its power to heal greatly reduced, that 
the tree is most powerless against disease; and it is after that 
time in most cases, that the increase in wood of timber trees is 
not sufficient to counterbalance the loss from various causes. 
Trees reach the inactive, mature stage at various ages according 
to the species and in spite of unfavorable climatic conditions or 
other adverse influences. Hence^ it must not be concluded from 
a study of the natual enemies of the different kinds of trees 
that the variation in their length of life is caused entirely by 
the presence or absence of disease ; for those with approximately 
the same susceptibility, in similar situations, and under the same 
environment, will react in case of infection in an entirely differ- 
ent manner, and with entirely different results. A white oak 
and a beech standing close together may be equally diseased but 
the former will probably outlive the latter by many years. 
The giant redwood of the Pacific coast having certain inherent 
powers of resistance to its enemies and by nature extremely 
long-lived, is able to stand at the end of three or four thousand 
years in a state of vigorous and healthy maturity. On the other 
hand, such trees as our cottonwoods, willows, and the wild red 
cherry, with fewer disease-resisting properties and with shorter 
natural life, are old and ready to die at a hundred years. 



Some Dangers Surrounding Trees Enumerated. 

The health and life of trees are endangered almost con- 
stantly. J^rst, there are the unfavorable natural conditions 
often surrounding them^ including excessive or meager water 



68 THE DESTRUCTR'E AGENTS OF FORESTS. 

supply; insufficient and improper plant food; severe winter 
freezing and late spring frosts; wind storms; lightning; snow, 
sleet and hail ; an excess or insufficiency of light ; and crowding 
by other trees. Closely related to these are the unfavorable 
artificial conditions found in the regions of coke ovens, pulp 
millSj copper smelters and blast furnaces, all of which produce 
large quantities of smoke or sulphur gases. Second, there are 
the dangers from living organisms, such as the wounding of 
trees by deer^ bears, and other forest inhabiting mam Trials ; the 
knawing of roots and carrying of disease germs by small bur- 
orwing quadrupeds; the ravages of innumerable insects; and 
the destructive work of fungi and bacteria and of parasitic 
flowering plants. The wonder is that trees can live at all, when 
we consider all these things, and especially when we reflect that 
they have no power to remove themselves from unhealthful sit- 
uations and out of reach of infectious diseases, but must submit 
passively to whatever com.es their way. A brief consideration 
of the structural protection which Nature has given trees will 
help us to understand how so many of them are able to sur^dve 
in the face of great odds. 

Protective Structure of Trees. 

Every liidng tree, after it has reached a certain age, is 
made up of two distinct parts, namely^ the dry, dark-colored 
heartwood and the living and growing sapwood, bark and leaves. 
Every part has its own peculiar protection. The heartwood. 
which extends through the trunk and larger limbs and roots, 
is effectually dead and now acts only as a support to the living 
parts which surround it. The heartwood of a few trees, such 
as the osage orange, the red cedar and others, is supposed to 
contain some chemical properties that are distasteful to insects 
and that resist the entrance of fungi; but in nearly all cases it 
has no power in itself to resist the elements of decay. There- 
fore, it is completely enclosed by living wood which is enabled, 
normally, to ward off many of its enem.ies. The liidng woody 
parts are partially protected by the thick bark of the trunk and 
limbs and by the exudation of giuns and resins which occurs in 
many species. The wood of trees that are not resinous is said 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



69 



to exude a resistant substance when exposed to the air. Bruises 
and broken limbs and roots are quickly healed over, especially 
in young and vigorous trees, and the natural place of entrance 
of many disease-producing organisms is thus closed. A resistant 
Govky tissue is sometimes formed beneath the scars of tender 
growing parts and is also found about the lenticels, or breath- 
ing pores, in the bark. Leaves, the tenderest and most exposed 
growing parts of the tree, present several protective features. 
Leaves are structurally protected from excessive light and from 
the escape of too large quantities of water from their upper 
surfaces. A further protection is afforded them by the hard- 
ened epidermis or skin-like covering, and many leaves are pro- 
tected, also, by a dense covering of hairs or spines. The seeds of 
trees are protected, in some cases, by spiny or bone-like cover- 
ings, as in the nuts of chestnut, hickory and walnut. 

The Decay of Dead Wood. 

From the ordinary commercial standpoint trees become 
useful only after they are cut down. When this is done the 
protection they have had in life is, of course, removed. ^lore- 
over, enemies of living wood now give place to a larger number 
of insects, fungi and bacteria that attack dead wood and quick-' 
ly bring about its ruin and decay. 

Conditions That Favor Decay. 

Saplings felled and left upon the ground decay witltip-j«L 
few months. This is especially true when the bark is not ^rff-p, 
moved and when they are left in damp, shady places. j\Iany 
wood-destroying fungi and insects prefer to work in young 
trees, and in the sap wood of older ones, thriving only where 
there is a large percentage of moisture. Just the conditions 
that favor the most rapid decay are afforded by leaving logs, 
sills, ties and other timbers upon jthe moist ground or in other 
places where thorough seasoning is not possible. 



70 



THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OF FORESTS. 



Conditions That Discourage Decay. 

Sound wood, if properly treated or placed out of reach of 
the elements of decay, may be preserved almost indefinitely. 
The decay of wood is not the result of mere exposure to air as 
is the rusting of iron but is brought about by living organisms, 
such as insects, bacteria and fungi. Fungi and many bacteria 
in order to live must have not only food but also a proper 
amount of heat, moisture, light and air. Therefore, if all of 
these requirements, or any one of them is lacking, decay from 
these causes will be greatly lessened or made impossible. Thor- 
oughly seasoned heartwood may have the food, the light, the air, 
and the heat, but as long as it lacks the required moisture it will 
not decay. Examples are numerous which illustrate the lasting 
properties of well-seasoned wood. The interior finish of build- 
ings erected hundreds of years often remains in a perfect state 
of preservation. That which is exposed to the weather, as yel- 
low poplar siding used on most of the frame houses in West 
Virginia, is frequently found to be worn thin by long expos- 
ure to winds and rain but yet with no sign of decay. Wood 
kept under the water or buried deep in the ground is preserved 
even more perfectly than that which is seasoned. In these 
cases the supply of air, or light, or heat, or of all of them, is not 
sufficient for the existence of organisms of decay. Further- 
more, bacteria and the spores of fungi — ^many of which float 
for long distances through the air — are effectually prevented 
from coming in contact with the wood. Archaeologists have 
frequently uncovered wooden buildings, with wooden furniture 
and numerous smaller articles, that were used by the early 
European races. Many of these have been buried for thous- 
ands of years. A wooden boat, recently taken from a deep ex- 
cavation in London, is said to have been left on the sandy shore 
of the Thames river before the invasion of England by the 
Romans in the year 43 A. D. A pleasure ship which was inden- 
tified as belonging to the Roman Emperor, Tiberius, whose 
reign ended in 37 A. D., was unearthed not long ago in a well- 
preserved condition. Excavations in Greece, Italy, Switzerland, 
and in other countries have brought to light old buildings the 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



71 



architecture of which has proven them to be of great age; anrl 
bridge piles, driven into the channels of European and Asiatic 
rivers thousands of years ago, are yet to be found. 

It is not necessary, however, to go outside of West Virginia 
to find examples of remarkable wood preservation. A well 
driller in the Kanawha valley of Mason county is said to have 
found a solid sycamore log at a depth of 50 feet; and a sound 
hardwood log was drilled into at a somewhat greater depth m 
the Buckhannon river valley near Sago in Upshur county. 
Well-preserved bottom logs of mill dams built by the early set- 
tlers of the state are still to be found along many of our 
streams; and the sandy shores and channels of most of our 
rivers contain sunken logs and limbs that have been kept from 
decay for hundreds of years, perhaps, by the action of soil and 
water. An interesting example of seasoned wood preservation 
is seen in an idol-like wooden statue found in a cave in West 
Virginia and now on exhibition in the Capitol Annex at Char- 
leston. When it was made is not known but we are justified 
by its appearance and all the known circumstances in believing 
it to be of great age. 

Woods can be preserved, for a limited time at least, by the 
use of such preservatives as creosote, zinc chlorid, corrosive 
sublimate, and copper sulphate. Their action is to prevent the 
entrance of bacteria and fungi that produce decay. Another 
method employed is the painting or the applying of other 
waterproof substances to the outside of posts^ poles and other 
exposed wood. ^ 

Conditions and Organisms That Induce Diseases of Trees and 
Decay of Wood. 

Having noticed, generally, that the injury and death of 
trees and the decay of wood result, directly or indirectly, from 
unfavorable environmental conditions or from lining organisms, 
that the destructive work of these natural agencies is either re- 
stricted by certain structural barriers in living wood ^nd by 
the absence in dead wood of one or more of the requirements 
of organisms of decay, or that it is augmented in proportion to 



72 



THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OF FORESTS. 



the lack of resistance of living trees and the presence of water 
and other favorable conditions of dead wood, it becomes advan- 
tageous to consider separately some of the enemies of trees and 
wood enumerated under a foregoing head. 

Water in Its Relation to Tree Diseases. 

An immense quantity of water passes through every tree 
during the period of its growth. The water is dravm from the 
soil through the roots and passes out, or is transpired, from the 
leaves. In the summer months a large broad-leaved tree will 
transpire from 500 to 900 pounds, or we may say a barrel, of 
water daily. Coniferous trees transpire about one-tenth that 
amount. A small amount of water passes out through the bark 
and even in the winter months a large tree may lose from 10 
to 15 pounds of water every day. 

The water requirements of trees vary greatly, and their 
distribution is affected everywhere by the amount of moisture 
present in the soil. The water content of the soil that will 
suit the needs of one tree will be the death of another. The 
tree that thrives in swampy ground will die if planted upon a 
dry hill and vice versa. That is to say, either an excessive or 
a meager supply of water may produce a diseased condition ac- 
cording to the species of the tree. If the roots of the yellow 
poplar or the white oak are flooded with water they are unable 
to get the amount of oxygen they require and will soon show 
signs of bad health. The same is true to a less extent of 
many other trees that prefer a jjorous, airy soil. A group of 
dead oaks or poplars, killed by the comparatively small quan- 
tity of water which drains from a culvert, may frequently be 
seen along a forest road. On the other hand, swamp white oaks, 
sweet gums, and other trees that prefer wet ground will im- 
mediately show signs of disease when the water is drained from 
their roots. 

Plant Food Supply in Its Relation to Tree Diseases. 

It is just as impossible for a good crop of trees to grow in a 
shallow and poor soil as it is for a crop of com or other agricul- 
tural crop to thrive on the most infertile land. One looks for 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



73 



large trees in the rich soils of valleys and coves and in the deep 
humus-filled soils of north hillsides. The fertility of the soil it- 
self can easily be judged by the kinds and sizes of the trees which 
it produces. Trees growing in poor soil are apt to have a starved 
and sickly appearance, and their weakened condition induces 
many kinds of disease. 

Relation of Excessive Cold to Tree Diseases. 

Severe winter freezing often kills the roots, twigs, and even 
the trunks of smaller trees, thereby producing a diseased condi- 
tion. Cracks in the bark and wood caused in this way not only 
weaken the tree and injure the quality of the wood but permit, 
also, the entrance of insects and fungi. Late spring frosts may 
kill the leaves or injure them to such an extent that they are un- 
able to perform their important work. 

Diseases Induced by Storms. , 

Storms occuring during the summer months may injure 
trees by lightning, by wind and by hail. Injuries from the first 
cause are comparatively slight. It is not uncommon, however, 
for a dozen or more trees to be struck during one season in a for- 
est of a few hundred acres, some of which will be only slightly 
damaged and others killed outright or almost completely de- 
molished. High winds are always disastrous to forests. Scores 
of the finest trees are upturned by wind each year in every wood- 
ed locality, and many limbs are broken from the standing trees. 
Hail storms are less violent in this part of the country than in 
the West and Northwest. The tender spring foliage, however, is 
occasionally riddled by hail-stones in narrow belts of timberland. 
Winds in winter, when the trees have dropped their foliage, 
sweep harmlessly through the forests of hardwood ; but tbe coni- 
fers are sometimes overthrown by winter as well as by summer 
winds. The principal losses in winter result from hanging snows 
and sleets that break the limbs and bear down and distort the 
trunks of the younger growth. Almost every limb was obs:^rved 
to be broken from thousands of trees growing on North Fork 
mountain in Pendleton county after the heavy sleet which fell 



74 



THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OP FORESTS. 



in February, 1910, and doubtless other regions suffered in the 
same way. 

The breaking of limbs by winds, snows and sleets and the 
wounding of bark and wood by falling trees and by lightning re- 
sult, indirectly, in a great loss from diseases of various kinds. 
Many species of wood-infesting insects and myriads of disease 
germs find a suitable place to enter at the scars of broken limbs 
and bark. 

Effects of Insufficient Light. 

The life of every tree in a forest is a constant struggle to get 
to the light. Some species demand more light than others, but 
all are dependent upon it to a greater or less degree. The trees 
that succeed in overtopping those that are intolerant of shade 
grow and reach maturity at the latter 's expense. Disease is sure 
to follow a weakening of trees that have been overgrown and left 
in the shade ; and so an insuffi^cient supply of light causes a con- 
stant thinning out process to go on from year to year. 

Injuries Due to Smoke and Gas. 

The ill effects upon vegetation of the smoke and gas of coke 
ovens and paper pulp mills is readily seen in the immediate 
vicinities of these industries. Not only the grass and other small 
vegetation about the thousands of coke ovens in West Virginia 
are killed, but the leaves of all the trees surrounding them have 
a withered and sickly appearance. Cone-bearing trees, especial- 
ly white pine and hemlock, are most easily killed from the causes 
here mentioned. Oaks, hickories, chestnut, and poplar, however, 
are all seriously affected and many others suffer disease and 
finally death after long exposure. 

Effects of the Wounding of Trees by Mammals. 

A number of forest-living mammals, such as bears, deer, and 
rabbits, injure live trees by chewing, scratching, or otherwise 
wounding the bark; and small, burrowing rodents occasionally 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



75 



damage the roots of trees in the same manner. These injuries, 
like those caused by snow and ice, are important chiefly because 
of the channels which they open up for destructive insects and 
fungi. 

Injuries by Forest Fires. 

It should not be forgotten that one of the most serious ef- 
fects of forest fires comes quietly and often unobserved, yet none 
the less surely, from the work of numerous species of fungi that 
are admitted to the wood of living and dead trees through the 
injured bark. Millions of forest trees in the State have been 
greatly damaged or rendered worthless by this secondary effect 
of fire. 

Injuries by Insects. 

Insects must be classed among the worst of the enemies of 
trees. They not only injure every part of living trees, but attack 
and destroy fallen trunks and manufactured wood products. The 
destructive work of forest insects is taken up more in detail un- 
der another head. 

Injuries by Fungi. 

The destructive work of fungi has already been referred to 
in a general way. The leaves, twigs, roots, bark and wood of liv- 
ing trees suffer from fungous diseases of many kinds. It has al- 
ready been pointed out, also, that after trees are cut down their 
wood is in still greater danger from the fungi that produce de- 
cay unless it is rapidly and thoroughly seasoned or treated with 
some chemical preservative. 

Fungi and Their Methods of Work. 

The terms "fungous disease", ''bacterial disease", and the 
like, would have been meaningless to the general reader in West 
Virginia twenty years ago; but since the development of scien- 
tific treatment of diseases of vegetables, grains, and fruits, this 
is no longer the case. Through farmers' institutes and ag'ricul- 



76 



THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OF FORESTS. 



tural periodicals, through bulletins issued and practical demon- 
strations made by the Agricultural Experiment Stations, and 
through instruction in the State Universities and in the public 
schools, even the farmers that are the farthest removed from the 
centers of population have become more or less familiar with 
their crop diseases and the methods of controlling them. For the 
reasons given, therefore, a simple discussion of the fungous dis- 
eases of forest trees should be readily understood and fully ap- 
preciated by any readers into whose hands it may fall. 

"Fungi are a class of low plants, possessing no coloring mat- 
ter, which consist of fine threads called hyphae. many hyphae 
forming the mycelium. The mycelium grows in or upon dead or 
living organic matter, from which it extracts certain food sub- 
stances. After a sufficient quantity has been absorbed, provided 
that conditions are favorable, fruiting bodies are formed which 
develop the spores. The fruiting bodies of the larger fungi found 
on trees are generally known as sporophores".* 

^fany of the common fungi are parasites upon other living 
plants, called their hosts, and live entirely at the latters' expense. 
Others that derive their food materials from dead and decaying 
organic substances are known as saprophytes. 

The large "brackets" or "punks", referred to above as 
"sporophores", are not themselves the fungi, but bear somewhat 
the same relation to the whole fungus plant that ordinary fruits 
and flowers bear to the trees and vines upon which they grow. In 
other words, when the fruiting part of a fungus appears, it is 
unmistakable evidence that the vegetative part of the fungus has 
reached an advanced stage in its life and has doubtless already 
worked great injury to its host. 

Fungi do not produce true seeds but countless numbers of 
minute bodies (spores), which answer the same purpose as seeds, 
are scattered from their fruiting organs. When spores find a 
suitable lodgment they begin to grow, sending slender threads 
(hyphae) or their feeding branches (haustoria) into living or 
dead tissues and continue to grow as described in the above 
quotation. 

It is not considered advisable, if indeed it were possible, to 



♦"Fungous Diseases of Forest Trees" — H. Von Schrenk. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



77 



take up separately in this report the many species or even the 
many classes of parasitic and saprophytic fungi that live in trees 
and timbers and discuss their appearance, their work, etc. In- 
stead, a few of them will be grouped according to their favorite 
feeding places and some of those that have been collected in West 
Virginia will be mentioned incidentally in that connection or list- 
ed near the end of this chapter. 

Fungi That Injure the Leaves of Trees. 

The most important of the fungi that are parasitic on the 
leaves of trees are the mildews, the rusts, and the leaf-spot fungi. 

The whitish mycelium of mildews frequently covers the 
whole surface of leaves and tender twigs giving them a frosty 
appearance during the summer and fall. The food of the mil- 
dews is drawn from their hosts through short branches of the 
mycelium which penetrate the cell walls of the interior leaf tis- 
sues. Late in the year small, black fruiting bodies (perithecia) 
appear. These hold on to the leaf surfaces during the winter, 
and in the spring burst open and scatter their spores. The dam- 
age done by mildews to large trees is not often great ; but to see'l- 
lings it may be more serious. In nurseries or in seedling planta- 
tions this fungus can be controlled by the use of powdered sul- 
phur or some liquid fungicide such as Bordeaux mixture. 

The leaves of deciduous trees suffer but little from rusts. 
Ash, poplar, birch, and willow leaves are occasionally affected, 
and one stage of the cedar rust is found on service, hawthorn, 
and other trees belonging to the rose family. The familiar ''ce- 
dar-apples" often found growing on red cedar trees in West Vir- 
ginia are caused by this cedar rust which is injurious both to the 
cedar and, in another stage, to the hardwood trees last mentioned 
above. A rust {Peridermium tsugae) sometimes occurs here on 
the leaves of hemlock but does only slight damage. The European 
currant rust {Cronartium ribicola) has been introduced from 
European nurseries, in one of its stages, on white pine seedlings. 
This disease is very destructive to young trees and due care 
should be exercised by purchasers not to pocure infected stock. 

Rusts can sometimes be controlled by fungicides when it is 



78 



THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OF FORESTS. 



practicable to carry on spraying operations. Another method of 
control is to rake together and burn diseased leaves in the fall or 
early spring. 

Leaf-spots are caused by a large number of minute fungi be- 
longing to several genera. The fungi producing leaf -spots may 
become troublesome here on such trees as silver maple, sugar 
maple, red maple, chestnut, v^alnut, hickory, pawpaw, witch 
hazel, and the buckeyes. A leaf -blight {Gleosporium nervise- 
quum Sacc.) is commonly found on sycamores. A serious leaf- 
blight of white pine occurs from New Hampshire to North Caro- 
lina. The cause of this blight is not well understood but it is be- 
lieved that fungi often found present are responsible in part. 

Leaf-spots and leaf-blights may be controlled in the man- 
ner recommended for the control of rusts. 

Fungi That Injure Bark. 

The bark of trees is affected to some extent by nearly all the 
wood-destroying fungi in their advanced fruiting stage. There 
are, however, some fungous diseases which are distinctively bark- 
destroyers. Among these are the slime-fluxes which work in the 
inner bark of such trees as the white elm, the maples, the yellow 
birch, and the flowering dogwood. The bark which is sometimes 
killed by these diseases, in broad girdles extending around limbs 
and trunks of trees, is affected by various forms of algae, bac- 
teria, and fungi. Special attention should be called to a serious 
bark disease which affects both chestnut and chinquapin trees. 
The disease is caused by a fungus known as Diaporthe parasitica 
Murr. It was first observed in the City of New York in 1904, at 
which time it had already damaged a large number of trees. Dr. 
W. A. Murrill, who first described the disease, estimates that it 
has caused a financial loss in New York City and vicinity of "be- 
tween five and ten million dollars." Over 16,000 chestnut trees 
were killed in a single park on Long Island. So far the disease 
has spread to Rhode Island and Massachusettes on the north, and 
through New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland to 
Virginia on the south. The most recent reports of the occurrence 
of this disease are from Boston, Massachusetts; Saratoga and 
Cooperstown, New York; Derry, Greensburg, and Kittanning 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



79 



Point, Pennsylvania; Fontella, Vir^nia; and from Lewisburg, 
Greenbrier county, and Whetsell, Preston county. West Virginia. 

The appearance and v^ork of the chestnut bark disease are 
thus described: "The spores of this fungus, brought by some 
means from a previously diseased tree, enter the bark through 
wounds ; possibly also in other ways. The leaves and green twigs 
are not directly affected. From the point of infection the fungus 
grows in all directions through the inner bark until the growth 
meets on the opposite side of the trunk or limb, which in this 
way is girdled. The wood is but little affected. Limbs with 
smooth bark attacked by the fungus soon show dead, discolored, 
sunken patches of bark covered more or less thickly with yellow, 
orange, or reddish-brown pustules of the fruiting fungus. In 
damp weather or in damp situations the spores are extended in 
the form of long irregular "horns" or strings, at first greenish 
to bright yellow in color, becoming darker with age. * * * * A 
(diseased) patch usually grows fast enough to girdle the branch 
or trunk that it is on during the first summer."* 

The means recommended for the control of this disease are 
the cutting down and destroying of infected trees and rigid ex- 
amination of nursery stock. 

Fungi That Injure Roots. 

There are several fungi that attack the roots of trees. Only 
one of these will be mentioned here. This is a gill-bearing fungus 
knovm as the honey mushroom. {Armillana.mellea{Yaihh)Qi\el.) ■ 
Its presence is manifested in the affected tree by a "drying up 
of the top" and in its advanced stages by the honey-colored 
fruiting parts of the fungus which appear scattered over the 
ground near the base of infected trees. 

Fungi That Injure the Wood of Living Trees. 

Under this head comes a large number of destructive fungi 
which attack the wood of living trees. Some of these are truly 
parasitic and injure the growing sapwood ; but by far the greater 

*"The Present Status of the Chestnut Bark Disease" — Metcalf 
and Collins. 



80 THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OF FORESTS. 

damage is done by saprophytic forms which find an entrance to 
the valuable heartwood. Nearly all of the destructive fungi of 
this class belong to the group known as pore fungi, most of 
which send out from the tree trunks the familiar sporophores, 
variously known in West Virginia as ''brackets", "toadstools", 
* Spunks", gnat-woods ", or "puddicks". Heartwood of affect- 
ed trees is rendered worthless by all the fungi of this class. The 
diseased wood becomes dry or wet, powdery or fibrous, light or 
dark-colored, according to the species of the attacking fungus. 
One of the most familiar examples under this head is the locust 
fungus {Pyropolyporus rohiniae Murr.) which enters the wood 
of the tree through broken limbs or through the tunnels of the lo- 
cust borer. Another, the false-tinder fungus {Fomes igniaritis 
Gill.) is an enemy of many broad-leaved trees including beech, 
maples, yellow birch, walnuts, oaks, hickories, and willows. The 
sulphur polyporus {Polyporus sulphureus (Bull.) Fr.) is found 
on oaks, chestnut, locust, walnuts, and many other deciduous 
trees. Others are the soft-rot fungus {Polyporus oltusus Berk.) 
found growing in wood of oaks ; and the heart-rot fungus {Fomes 
nigricans Fr.) of birches, vdllows, and aspens. Many others, de- 
scribed in various publications relating to this subject, may be 
found in the forests and woodlots of the State. 

Fungi That Injure Dead Wood. 

No estimate can be made of the immense damage to fallen 
trees and manufactured timbers caused by various species of 
saprophytic fungi. It has been pointed out that decay from these 
causes under favorable circumstances is rapid and certain, and 
that in order to preserve wood it is necessary at once to insure it 
against attack by seasoning or chemical treatment. According 
to some writers, the most widely distributed and most destructive 
of the wood-rotting fungi is the comparatively small and vari- 
colored species {Polysiictus versicolor (L.) Fr.) found growing 
singly or more often in dense masses on almost every kind of 
hardwood. A more conspicuous example of this class is the com- 
mon sap-rotting fungus {Elfvingia megaloma (Lev.) Fr.), the 
large sporophores of which are seen growing on logs in damp 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



81 



woods in almost every locality. Several others of this class are 
included in the list given below. 

. Studies of Fungi in West Virginia. 

Observations by the writer on the extent of injury by fungi 
to forests and forest products in West Virginia have been of 
the most general nature. A glance at the conditions in the 
principal forest regions, however, has shown a percentage of in- 
jury from this cause almost beyond comprehension. The pro- 
gress of destruction is found to be particularly alarming in the 
immense burnt-over areas found in nearly every part of the 
state, and in the cut-over forests where careless methods of lum- 
bering have left tangled heaps of decaying tree-tops among the 
scarred and battered growth of young and inferior trees. It Is 
evident on every hand that the highest possible development of 
destructive fungi and other disease-producing organisms has 
been encouraged in the forests of the state by every means com- 
mon to a policy of carelessness and waste. 

The principal studies and collections of West Virginia 
fungi have been made by Mr. L. Y\^. Nuttall, formerly of Nut- 
tallburgj Fayette county, and by Dr. John L. Sheldon, Professor 
of Botany and Bacteriology at the State University. The work 
of the former covered a period of several years, especially be- 
tween 1893 and 1896, in which he collected extensively at odd 
times on the waters of the New river and its tributaries, fur- 
nishing most of the 980 fungi listed in Millspaugh and Nuttall's 
Flora of West Virginia." A large private collection — from 
which the names and annotations given in the list below were 
taken — ^has been built up by Dr. Sheldon during his vacations 
from University work. This collection, which is available to the 
students in botany at the West Virginia University, has been 
brought together, not through any special encouragement from 
the outside but because of the great need of an herbarium at 
the chief educational institution of the state, and because of the 
special desirability of a collection of native plants as an aid in 
teaching systematic botany. 
6 



82^ 



THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OP FORESTS. 



AN ANNOTATED LIST OF FUNGI DESTRUCTIVE TO 
TREES AND WOOD. 

(Collection of Dr. John L. Sheldon.) 



Pore Fungi. 



Bjerkandera adusta (Willd.) Karst. 
On dead oak, Randall. 
On willow, Moundsville. 

Coriolus abietinus (Dicks.) Quel. 

On red spruce. Cranberry Glades. 
On hemlock, Lick Run. 

On hemlock. Cooper's Rock, east of Morgantown. 

Coriolus pubescens (Schum.) Murr. 

On beech, French Creek. (Coll. F. E. Brooks.) 
On beech, Morgantown. (Coll. C. P. Hartley.) 

Coriolus versicolor (L.) Quel. 

On black walnut, Morgantown. 

On birch. Quarry run, near Morgantown. 

On birch, Cranberry Glades. 

On birch, Albright. 

Coriolus prolificans (Fries) Murr. 
On birch. Cranberry Glades. 
On oak, Seebert. 
On beech, Albright. 
On wild plum, Morgantown. 

Coriolus nigromarginatus (Schw.) Murr. 
On yellow poplar, Oliver. 
On dead wood. Cranberry Glades. 
On birch, Lick Run. 

Coriolellus sepium (Berk.) Murr. 
On walnut, Morgantown. 

Daedalea confragosa (Bolt.) Murr. 
On birch, Lick run. 
On oak, Star City. 
On birch. Cranberry Glades. 

Elfvingia megaloma (Lev.) Murr. 
On dead wood. Lick run. 
On sugar maple, Cranesville. 

Puscoporia viticola ( Schw. ) Murr. 

On oak and locust, Morgantown. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



83 



Flames roseus (Alb. & Schw.) Cooke. 
On hemlock, Cranesville. 
On red spruce, Cranberry Glades. 
On living peacb tree, Washington. (Coll, Hartley.) 

Fomes ungulatus (Schaeff.) Sacc. 
On hemlock, Cranesville. 

Gloeoporus conchoides Mont. 

On decaying log, Sabraton. 
On wild cherry, Mona. 
On apple, Albright. 
On dead wood, Ceredo. 

Ganoderma tsugae Murr. 

On hemlock, Tibbs run. 
On hemlock, Sturgisson. 

Gloeophyllum hirsutum (Schaeff.) Murr. 
On scrub pine, Dellslow. 

On spruce log (Alt. 4,000 ft.) Cranberry Mountain. 
On ash, Ringgold. 

Gloeophyllum trabeum (Pers.) Murr. 
On sugar maple,Lick run. 
On sugar maple, Morgantown. 

Grifola Berkeleyi (Fr.) Murr. 

On dead wood. Cranberry Mountain. 

Hapalopilus gilvus (Schw.) Murr. 
On beech, Morgantown. 
On red maple, French Creek. 

Hapalopilus lichnoides (Mont.) Murr. 
On sugar maple, Albright. 

Hexagona alveolarls (DC.) Murr. 

On dead wood, Dorsey's Knob near Morgantown. (Coll. Hartley.) 

Inonotus perplexus (Peck.) Murr. 

On beech, Morgantown. 

Irpiciporus lacteus (Fr.) Murr. 

On oak, Lick run. (Coll. Hartley.) 
On white walnut, Morgantown. 

Irpiciporus mollis. 

On sugar maple. Lick run. 

Phaeolus sistotremoides (A. & S.) Murr. 
On hemlock log. Cranberry Glades. 



Polyporus acularius. (Batsch.) Fr. 

On dead log, Star City. (Coll. Hartley.) 



84 



THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OF FORESTS. 



Polyporus fissus Berk. 

On maple, Cranberry Glades. 

Trametes robinophila Murr. 

On locust (wounds), Morgantown. 

Tyromyces chioneus (Fr.) Karst. 
On maple, Sabraton. 

On dead wood, French Creek. (Coll. F. E. Brooks.) 

Pyropolyporus igniarius (L.) Murr. 
On birch, Cranberry Glades. 
On maple, Cranesville. 

Pyropolyporus Robiniae Murr. 

On living locust, Sturgisson. 
On living locust, Elwell. 

Pyropolyporus conchatus (Pers.) Murr. 
On dead log, Morgantown. 

PyenopoTus cinnabrmus (Jacq.) Karst. 
On dead wood. Cranberry Mountain. 
On wild cherry, Reedsville. 
On wild cherry, Morgantown. 
On birch, Cranesville. 
On oak, Morgantown. 

Mildews. 

Erysiphe polygoni. 

On yellow poplar, Morgantown. 

Erysiphe aggregata. 
On alder, Durbin. 

Podosphaera oxyacanthae. 

On wild cherry, Morgantown. 
On hawthorn, Cranesville. 
On hawthorn, Martinsburg. 

Uncinula macrospora Peck. 

On white elm, Ronceverte. 
On white elm, Point Pleasant. 

Uncinula geniculata. 

On red mulberry, Morgantown. 

Uncinula parvula Ck. & Peck. 
On hackberry, Martinsburg. 

Uncinula circinata Cooke «& Peck. 
On sugar maple, Morgantown. 

Microsphaera AIni (DC.) Wint. 
On birch. Cheat View. 
On oak, Rohr. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



Microsphaera grossulariae. 

On common elder, Cranesville. 

Miscellaneous. 

Hydniuu erinaceum. 
On locust. 

Hymenochaete rubiginosa. 

On locust, Morgantown. 
On white oak, Terra Alta. 

Hymenochaete tabacina. 

On maple. Cranberry Glades. 

Lentinus villosus. 

On sugar maple. Lick run. 

Lenzites betulina. 

Lick run. 

Schizophyllum alveum. 

On maple. Cranberry Glades. 

Stereum lobatum. 

On beech, Albright. 

On white oak, French Creek. 

Stereum complicatum. 

On beech, Albright. 

On hemlock or spruce. Cranberry Glades. 

Thelephora pedicellata. 

On hawthorn, Durbin. 

Anthostoma discincola (Schw.) Sacc. 
On crab apple, Morgantown. 

Oaryospora putaminmn (Schw.) DeN. 

On hickorynut, Morgantown. 

Daldinia concentrica (Bolt.) Ces. & DeN. 
On birch. Cooper's Rock. 

Diatrype virescens (Schw.) Cooke. 
On oak, Morgantown. 

Butypella stellulata (Fr.) Ell. 

On Ailanthus, Morgantown. 

Glonimn stellatum Muhl. 

On black walnut, Albright. 
On wood fence, Dellslow. 

Gnomonia ulmea (Sacc.) Th. 
On white elm, Ceredo. 



86 THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OP FORESTS. 

Gnomoniella fimbriata (Pers.) Sacc. 
On Carpinus, Durbin. 

Herpotrichia diffusa (Schw.) E. & E. 
On red mulberry, Marilla. 

Hypocrea Schweinitzii (Fr.) Sacc. 
On oak log, Lick run. 

Lophodermium Rhododendri (Schw ) B. 
On Rhododendron, Lick run. 

Melanconis tiliaceae (Ell.) B. & B. 

On basswood, Morgantown. 

Nectria episphaeria (Tode.) Fr. 
On beech, Morgantown. 

Nectria ciimabriiia (Tode.) Fr. 

On sugar maple, Morgantown. 

Ophionectria scolecospora Bref. 

On white pine, near Morgantown. 

Physalospora ilicis (Schw.) Sacc. 
On holly, Morgantown. 

Plenonectria denigrata Wint. 

On honey locust, Morgantown. 

Plowrightia morbosa (Schw.) Sacc. 

On wild cherry, Cranberry Mountain. 

Rpsellinia pulveracea. 

On hickory log, UflSngton. 
On sycamore, Marilla. 

Rhytisma acerinimi (Pers.) Fr. 
On red maple, Rohr. 
On sugar maple, Morgantown. 
On red maple, Cheat Bridge. 

Rhytisma punctatiun (Pers.) Fr. 

On mountain maple. Cheat Bridge. 

Rhytisma ilicis-canadensis Schw. 

On holly, Cranberry Glades. 

Valsaria exasperata (Gerard) E. & B. 
On white walnut, Morgantown. 

Injuries to Trees by the Mistletoe. 

The mistletoe (Phoradendron flavescens) is a semi-parasitic 
flowering shrub growing upon the limbs and trunks of elms, 
hackberries, sycamores, sweet gums, and other hardwood trees, 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



87 



and distributed from the Pacific coast southward and eastward 
to New Jersey, southern Pennsylvania and southern Ohio. In 
West Virginia it is found, chiefly, on white elms along the low- 
er Ohio and Great Kanawha rivers and other streams in the 
southern half of the state. 

In some parts of its range — notably in Texas — the mistletoe 
is extremely troublesome 5 and wherever it grows the host from 
which the parasite draws the m.ajor portion of its living, suffers 
appreciably. The injuries are somewhat offset, however, by the 
high esteem in which this white-berried evergreen shrub is held 
for purposes of holiday decoration. 

INSECTS THAT INJURE FORESTS AND FOREST 
PRODUCTS. 

About twenty years ago the importance of the injury being 
done to forests by insects began to attract special attention in 
West Virginia. In 1891 and 1892 a destructive outbreak of the 
southern pine beetle, {Bendroctomis frontalis Zimm.) occurred 
throughout a considerable portion of the pine and spruce regions 
of the State. This outbreak was made the subject of an extend- 
ed investigation by Dr. A. D. Hopkins, who was at that time en- 
tomologist to the West Virginia Agricultural Experiment Sta- 
tion. Later, many other species of insects destructive to forests 
were included in the investigation and the results of the studies 
were published as bulletins of the Experiment Station and in 
various scientific journals. Dr. Hopkins was one of the pioneer 
investigators of forest insect problems in this country an<l 
subsequently he became an authority on the subject whose writ- 
ings have attracted world-wide attention. 

Prom 1891 to 1902, or, for a period of about ten years, Dr. 
Hopkins, as entomologist to the Experiment Station, devoted a 
considerable part of his attention to original investigations of 
forest insects with special reference to the distribution, life his- 
tories, habits, natural enemies and m.ethods of control of the 
more important species found in West Virginia. The numerous 
papers dealing with this subject which he published while he was 
employed in this State and other publications by him which fol- 
lowed after he removed from here to take charge of forest insect 



88 



THE DESTRUCTI\"E AGENTS OF FORESTS. 



investigations for the United States Department of Agriculture 
furnish valuable information in regard to practically all our 
species of forest insects that are of serious consequence. The 
writer in preparing this chapter has dra^^-n freely from these 
publications as representing the best knowledge to be had on the 
subject. 

Nature and Extent of Injury. 

The damage done by forest insects, in the opinion of those 
who have investigated the subject most, is in excess of that done 
by forest fires. The destructive work of the two agents, however, 
is often reciprocal, the one agent assisting and furthering the de- 
struction begun by the other. Thus it happens often that where 
insects have injured and killed forest trees fires will follow and 
burn the inflammable dead wood with great devastation. Like- 
wise, timber injured or killed by fires invites many species of 
bark and wood boring insects which further the work of destruc- 
tion. In both cases the injury from the lairning is the more con- 
spicuous and the fires are usually accredited with the major por- 
tion of the loss, when, in fact, the insects may be the more de- 
structive agent of the two. The interrelations of forest insects 
and wood-destroying fungi are also frcriuently very marked. The 
burrows of insects in the wood afi'ord suitable places for the fungi 
to begin their work of decay, and. transversely, trees injured 
primarily by fungi are attacked by insects and the progress of 
deterioration and decay hastened. 

Insects injure forests by attacking tlie bark, wood and 
foliage of living trees causing their death or a more or less seri- 
ous impairment of their health and of the quality of the lumber 
which they may produce. Standing diseased or dead trees and 
felled trees and logs are attacked by other species that bore 
through the wood and cause great loss. ]\Ianufactnred lumber, 
both in the rough and finished, and tanbark are often injured. 
The seeds of various forest trees are attacked by other species 
and injured so that they will not germinate when planted thus 
interfering with both natural and artificial ret'orestatiou. 

The following is a brief description of some of the more de- 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



89 



structive insects that injure our different classes of forest trees 
and forest products. 

Insects That Attack the Bark of Living Trees. 

Among the most serious enemies of coniferous forests are 
the different species of beetles that in their adult and larval 
stages attack the inner bark of living trees excavating galleries 
for the reception of their eggs and for food. Beetles of this 
class belonging to the genus Dendrotonus have been notably 
destructive in West Virginia and in many sections of this and 
other countries, the genus being represented at present by 23 
North American and one European species. The beetles of the 
different species are somewhat variable in size, ranging from 2 
to 7 mm. in length. The color is brown, reddish-brown or 
black. The beetles have broad heads and the general form of 
the body is elongate, cylindrical and stout. 

The beetles mine in the bark of their host trees for a dis- 
tance of a foot or more and construct egg galleries. The larvae 
hatching from the eggs destroy the bark intervening between 
the burrows and galleries made by the adults thus girdling the 
trees and causing their speedy death. 

As a result of conditions that favor their multiplication 
these beetles sometimes appear in swarms and attack lining 
healthy trees over wide areas of country. Hopkins estimates 
that if the timber destroyed in the United States by this one 
group of insects during the past fifty years were living today 
its stumpage value would exceed $1,000,000,000. 

In 1891 and 1892 the southern pine beetle, {Dendroctonus 
frontalis (Zimm) appeared in the spruce and pine regions of 
West Virginia and Virginia, and, to a less entent, in North 
Carolina, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Pennsyl- 
vania and killed a very large percentage of young and old 
trees on an area of over 75,000 square miles. The loss in West 
Virginia from this outbreak was great as nearly all the pine 
and spruce trees in thousands of acres of fine forest were killed 
while shade and ornamental pine trees within the infested areas 
suffered the same as those in the forests. In the Potomac basin 



90 



THE DESTRUCTIVE AGEXTS OF FORESTS. 



from 75 to 80 per cent of aH tlie mature pines were killed. 
Previous to this killing of tlie trees very few destructive for- 
est fires had occurred in this region but in 1895 fires raged in 
the dead timlDer and caused great loss. Since that time, as a 
more or less direct result of the insect outbreak, fires have 
been frequent and destructive. 

The insects continued to multiply and spread for two 
seasons and just at the time when it seemed that all otir spruce 
and pine forests were doomed natural conditions destroyed the 
beetles causing them to disappear as suddenly as they h-ad 
come. Since 1893 no injtiry is known to have been done by 
this species within the state. In Virginia and other states fttr- 
ther to the sotitli it has continued to be more or less active and 
there is a remote possibility of futtire recurrences of devastat- 
ing swarms in the forests of West Virginia. 

The death of large areas of pine v-hich history records as 
occtirring in some of the southern states has no dotibt resulted 
from the attacks of the southern pine Vieetle. 

Several other bark beetles of this gentis have been fotind 
hj Hopkins in Vest Virginia btit none of them is so destruc- 
tive as the species just described. The Eastern Larch Beetle 
(D. simplex Lec.^ has been fotind on the larch growing in the 
north-eastern part of the state and one specimen of the Alle- 
ghany Spruce Beetle 'B. punctafus Lec.^' vras found by Hop- 
kins in Randolph county. The Black Turpentine Beetle B. 
iurljrans Oliv.'i was found on yellow and white pine at Kana- 
wha Station. "W. Va. The Red Turpentine Beetle 'B. vnJens 
Lec.) bred in great numbers in the trees injured by the si:mth- 
em pine beetle in 1891 and 1892 and did some damage to li^fing 
pine and spruce trees in 1893 but was not notably injurious 
thereafter. 

The Destructive Spruce Bark Beetle • PoJygraplius nifi- 
pennis Kirby) is a small, black, elongate beetle that has caused 
considerable damage to spruce in this state. It occasionally 
attacks the bark of other trees but most of its injury is done 
to spruce, especially to trees that have been injured or have 
had their vitality impaired by other causes. In August, 1909, 
Hopkins observed this insect to be killing spruce timber on 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



91 



Shavers mountain, in Randolph county. The Hickory Bark- 
borer {Scolytus qudrispinosus Say) is a destructive enemy of 
hickory in the region from Wisconsin to Vermont and south 
to Georgia. Its injuries, like the others, consist of mines and 
galleries made in the inner bark. 

Insects That Injure the Wood of Living and Dead Trees. 

One of the commonest forms of insect injury to wood con- 
sists of pinholes or wormholes that are revealed as the logs are 
sawed into lumber. Often a tree will have every appearance 
externally of being sound but when it is manufactured defects 
of this kind will be so abundant that a very large portion of 
the lumber can be graded only as culls. Hard and soft wood 
of all kinds are subject to these injuries and it is not infre- 
quent for lumber to be reduced in value fully 50 per cent by 
their occurrence. 

Several species of insects are responsible for these defects. 
The Oak Timber Worm {Eupsalis minuta Dru.) gains access 
to the heartwood of li^dng trees through bruises in the bark, ax 
wounds or the bases of broken and dead limbs. From the place 
of entrance the burrows extend in every direction through the 
wood. Old oak trees are almost sure to contain more or less 
of the burrows of this insect and the loss is often enormous. 
The Chestnut Timber Worm {Lymexylon sericeum Harr.) at- 
tacks chestnut in a manner similar to the way in which the 
species last mentioned attacks oak. Defects in chestnut lum- 
ber caused by this species are perhaps even more abundant 
than are those in oak caused by the oak timber worm. Scarcely 
a chestnut tree of merchantable size can be found that has not 
been injured to some extent. Hopkins estimates that the re- 
duction in value of the average chestnut lumber product due to 
this species is not far from 30 per cent. 

Very large wormholes are frequently found in white oak 
and red oak and occasionally in other kinds of oak. These may 
occur at any place along the trunk of the tree but are perhaps 
most abundant about the bases of the limbs. ]\Iost of these 
large burrows are made by the lar^^ae of large moths which are 



92 THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OF FORESTS. 

known as carpenter moths. Injuries of this kind are common 
in the oaks of West Virginia. 

Another class of defects which are somewhat distinct in 
appearance are the ''grease spots" or "black holes" found in 
white oak, chestnut oak, beech, yellow poplar and other species 
of trees. These are caused by one of the so-called ambrosia 
beetles {Gorthylus columhianus Hopk.) These defects are very 
abundant and are the cause of much loss especially in hard- 
woods. 

The Locust Borer {Gyllene robinae Forst.) is a destruc- 
tive enemy of yellow locust in West Virginia. Some sections 
of the state are comparatively exempt from the ravages of this 
species while in other sections injuries done are so great that it 
is almost useless to attempt to grow locust trees. Hopkins 
states that the locust timber on the Potomac waters is compar- 
atively free from these insects but that they are plentiful on 
the Greenbrier river. They are abundant also in the central 
and western parts of the state and about Morgantown. 

The adult locust borer is a very handsome yellow and 
black beetle that deposits its eggs on the bark of the host tree 
in the fall. At this season the beetles may be found also fre- 
quenting the blossoms of goldenrod. The larvae feed first in 
the bark and later extend their burrows into the solid wood. 
Their presence is always indicated by the sawdust-like borings 
which the larvae eject from their burrows. 

Dying and dead pine wood is also attacked by ambrosia 
beetles and the sapwood seriously injured by the pinholes 
which the insects make. A fungous growth develops in these 
pinholes which stains the wood and hastens decay. Hardwood 
trees when about to die and when dead are attacked by a great 
variety of insects the most destructive of which are the round- 
headed borers, timber worms and ambrosia beetles. The 
promptness with which many of these insects enter the trees 
after they are killed and the rapidity with which they extend 
their burrows in every direction through the wood makes it 
important that trees killed by any agency should be manufac- 
tured as soon as possible after their death in order to sustain 
the minimum of loss. 




Photo hv A D. Hopkins. 
WHITE PINE KILLED IN 1892 BY SOUTHERN BARK BEETLE. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



93 



Miscellaneous Injuries to Forest Products. 

Roundheaded borers, timber worms and ambrosia beetles 
cause serious damage to small round timbers of many kinds, 
especially when cut in the winter or spring and allowed to lie 
with the bark on. The same classes of insects attack pulpwood 
and cordwood of all kinds causing a loss, according to Hopkins, 
of from 10 to 100 per cent. Ambrosia beetles often do serious 
damage to oak and other hardwood planks when sawed and 
stacked in close piles. Handles and stock for wagons and farm 
implements are frequently injured by powder-post beetles 
often to the extent of being entirely ruined. These insects are 
especially troublesome in store houses where handles and other 
small timbers are kept. 

Insects That Feed on the Foliage of Trees. 

Up to the present time the forests of West Virginia have 
not been visited by such leaf-eating insects as the Gypsy moth 
and brown-tail moth which have wrought such havoc in some 
of the New England states. Several species of caterpillars that 
feed gregariously on the foliage of oak have from time to time 
been slightly injurious. Fall web-worms and canker worms 
have done some damage in certain parts of the state and the 
insects known as walking-sticks have been abundant for a few 
years and have done slight damage to the leaves of deciduous 
trees in Mineral county. 

The Catalpa Sphynx Moth has for several years been de- 
structive to catalpa foliage in Kanawha, Mason and Ritchie 
counties and probably in other southern and western sections 
of the state. The Catalpa Midge {C ecidomyia catalpae. Comst.) 
has injured the buds and foliage of catalpa in Upshur county. 

The chrysomelid beetle, {Monocesia coryli) has for several 
years been very destructive to the foliage of elm trees in 
Greenbrier, Monroe and Berkeley counties. The Rose Chafer 
{Macrodactylus suhspinosus) has frequently been complained 
of as injuring the foliage of black walnut, chestnut, ash and 
other forest trees. The injuries from this species have usually 
been confined to strips of country lying along the water courses 



94 



THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OF FORESTS. 



where there is a sandy soil in which the insects pass the larva 
stage. The Locust Leaf Beetle, (Odontata dorsalis) is a com- 
mon enemy of yellow locust in the lower sections of the state. 
This insect in both its adult and larval stages feeds on the 
leaves of locust giving to them a dead appearance about mid- 
summer. 

Insects That Injure Nuts. 

The larvae of several species of beetles and moths feed on 
nuts frequently injuring them to such an extent that they are 
unfit for food and worthless for planting. Two species of 
snout beetles of the genus Conotrachelus attack the young nuts 
of hickory and walnut. The beetles pierce the husks of the 
nuts with their snouts and deposit eggs in the openings. The 
larvae that issue from the eggs feed on the young nuts caus- 
ing them to drop by the time they are half grown. Several 
species of weevils of the genus Balaninus attack chestnuts, 
hickorynuts, hazelnuts and acorns as they approach maturity. 
These beetles use their long, slender snouts to make holes 
through the covering of the nuts in which to place their eggs. 
The larvae from the eggs feed on the nuts often devouring the 
entire meat and making them worthless for any use. In West 
Virginia, two species of these weevils attack chestnuts, one 
hickorynuts, one hazelnuts and at least six attack the different 
species of acorn. The common, fleshy, white grubs, or worms, 
found in nuts are the larvae of these weevils. Chestnuts are 
sometimes affected to the extent of from 50 to 75 per cent of 
the whole crop and acorns are even more seriously injured. 
Hazelnuts and hickorynuts suffer to a less extent. 

How Losses Can Be Prevented. 

In the way of suggestions for preventing loss from forest 
insects no better directions can be given than those laid down 
by Dr. Hopkins in Bulletin 58, Part V, Bureau of Entomology, 
U. S. Dept. Agr. We quote from page 93 of this publication. 

''The results of extensive investigations and of practical 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



95 



applications during recent years have demonstrated that some 
of the most destructive insect enemies of American forests and 
manufactured and utilized products can be controlled and ser- 
ious damage prevented with little or no ultimate cost over that 
involved in good forest management and business methods. 

"It is evident that if the information now available 
through publications of the Department of Agriculture and 
through direct correspondence with its experts is properly util- 
ized in the future it will result in the prevention of the equiva- 
lent of at least 30 per cent of the estimated annual waste of for- 
est resources that has been caused by insects within recent years 
and thus contribute greatly to the conservation of the forest 
reosurces. This can be accomplished as follows: 

"(1) By the adoption or adjustment of certain requisite 
details in forest management, in lumbering and manufacturing 
operations, and in storing, transporting, and utilizing the pro- 
ducts which, at the least expense, will bring about the neces- 
sary reduction of the injurious insects and unfavorable condi- 
tions for their future multiplication or destructive work. 

''(2) By the adoption of policies of control, based upon 
expert technical knowledge or advice relating to the species, 
habits, life history^ and natural enemies of the insects involved, 
and methods for their control, supplemented by expert knowl- 
edge or advice on the principles of technical and applied for- 
estry in the proper management, care, and utilization of the 
forest and its resources and still further supplemented by 
practical knowledge and experience relating to local conditions 
and facilities favorable and unfavorable for successful appli- 
cation according to a given method or policy of control. 

''(3) By reliance on technical advice furnished by recog- 
nized experts in forest entomology and forestry as a basis for 
success in practical application by the owner or forester. 

"(4) By utilization of so-called matured timber, and 
especially dense or pure stands of such timber, thus removing 
one of the favorable conditions for rapid deterioration through 
attacks by wood-boring insects or death through the attacks of 
destructive bark-boring or defoliating insects. 



96 



THE DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS OF FORESTS. 



' ' ( 5 ) By the utilization of a knowledge of the principles 
of natural control as a means of contributing to the efficiency 
of artificial control. 

"(6) By prompt recognition of the first evidence of the 
work or destructive outbreaks of the principle insect depreda- 
tors, by authentic identification of the species involved, and by 
prompt action in adopting the proper method or methods of 
control for the prevention of losses. 

''It should be remembered that as a rule it is useless to 
attempt the extermination of an insect enemy of the forest or 
its products. It is only necessary to reduce and weaken its 
forces at least 75 per cent, so that it can not continue an ag- 
gressive invasion, but must occupy a defensive position against 
its own enemies and become dependent upon favorable condi- 
tions resulting from avoidable negligence and mismanagement 
by owners of the forests and the manufacturers of forest pro- 
ducts. 

' ' While beneficial insects, beneficial birds, and beneficial dis- 
eases exert a continuous and powerful influence toward the pre- 
vention of a more extensive waste of forest resources, it has 
been repeatedly demonstrated that they can not be depended 
upon always to prevent widespread devastation or otherwise to 
work for the best interests of the private or public owner by 
protecting the best trees and the best tree species. 

"The best way to utilize the factors of natural control is 
to become their allies and assist in the reduction of the enemy, 
rather than to try to make them our allies through artificial in- 
troduction or dissemination. 

"A large percentage of the waste caused by insects can be 
prevented by the utilization of infested material, and at the 
same time, without additional expense, this will contribute 
greatly to the control of insects which cause such waste and 
also prevent injuries and depredations in the future. 

"Under past conditions the poor management or neglect 
of the average forest has contributed to the increase of depre- 
dations by forest insects. 

"Under present conditions of better management of local 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



forests and of the more progressive manufacturing enterpris^js 

much is being accomplished toward the reduction of losses. In 
the average forest, and in the average business enterprise deal- 
ing with forest products, present conditions are little better 
than in the past. This is largely due to a lack of appreciation 
of the importance of the subject and failure to realize the op- 
portunity and practicability of preventing a large percentage 
,of the loss." 



7 



CHAPTER V. 

PRESENT FOREST CONDITIONS. 



Virgin Forest. 

1835. — "West of the AUeghanies a large portion of the country 
must forever remain in its primitive f orest. 6^a^e^- 
teer of Virginia and the District of Columbia, hy Joseph 
Martin. 

1870.— "At least 10,000,000 acres are still in all the vigor and 
freshness of original growth." — The West Virginia 
Hand Book and Immigrants' Guide, hy J. H. Diss 
Debar. 

1876.— "Between 9,000,000 and 10,000,000 acres are in the ori- 
ginal forest." — Resources of West Virginia, hy If. F. 
Maury and Wm. M. Fontaine. 

1893. — "Nearly or quite one-half of the State is still uficleared, 
and by far the greater portion of the uncleared land is 
still in virgin forest." — The Momitain State, hy Geo. 
W. Summers. 

1900. — "The wooded area of West Virginia is estimated at 
18,400 square miles, or 73 per cent of the area of the 
State and most of this is occupied by timber of a mer- 
chantable size and quantity." — TJ. S. Census Report, hy 
Henry Gannett. 



The virgin forest area in 1910 is slightly over 1^ million 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



99 



acres. The table given below, the county discussions, and the map 
which accompanies this report show in what parts of the State 
the forest areas are distributed. The acreage of wooded and 
cleared areas is given approximately. No surveys were made 
for the purpose of obtaining the acreage or location of forest 
lands. Careful observations and numerous inquiries were made 
throughout the State, however^ and the areas of virgin and cut- 
over forests, particularly, are not far wrong. The percentages 
of cleared land — from which the acreage of woodlots and cleared 
land is calculated — ^were obtained by consulting with a number 
of well-informed citizens in every county. It is probable that 
the figures obtained in this manner are inaccurate in some in- 
stances, but they are sufficient to show, in a general way at 
least, the regions which are occupied by farms and those which 
have remained in forest. 



100 



PRESENT FOREST CONDITIONS. 



Table Showing Distribution of Forests in West Virginia. 



County 



Area 

(Acres) 



Virgin 
Forest 
(Acres) 



Cut-Over 
forest 
(Acres) 



K»rnier»' 


Per Cent 


Cleared 


Woodlots 


Cleared 


I,and 


(Acres) 


Ivand 


(Acres) 


134,912 


40 


100,608 


16,672 


85 


139,808 


68,028 


15 


49,152 
173,1^0 


139,350 


50 


9,312 


85 


52,768 


66,816 


60 


100,224 


82,184 


50 


89,664 


96,812 


15 


33,408 


88,064 


60 


132,096 


178,600 


15 


74,400 


102,540 


50 


117,440 


110,440 


25 


78,280 


157,584 


40 


269,056 


248,392 


35 


148,288 


8,256 


85 


46,784 


201,612 


30 


114,048 


53,271 


80 


213,084 


75,246 


75 


225,739 


27,264 


80 


109,056 


300,8561 30 


167,424 


105 984 


60 


158,976 


82,120 


50 


141,120 


89^544 


10 


31,616 


2^798 


3 


13,922 


30,282 


85 


171,599 


60,530 


70 


141,236 


57,507 


80 


230,026 


158,092 


35 


97,888 


1^^0,488 


40 


84,992 


36,024 


10 


27,136 


74,829 


60 


140,744 


163,372 


30 


89,088 


50,200 


50 


75,200 


44,356 


35 


154,784 


7,104 


90 


63,936 


222,084 


20 


90,496 


27,264 


70 


63,616 


87,566 


20 


109,824 


169,664 


40 


171,776 


109,196 


50 


113,696 


74,540 


15 


53,760 


196,864 


15 


104,256 


131,855 


50 


146,240 


88,552 


70 


217,818 


141,488 


35 


82,432 


33,792 


60 


50,688 


52,160 


15 


42,240 


48,743 


70 




85,720 


50 


104,320 


55,920 


60 


209,280 


65,960 


15 


56,640 


77,480 


60 


138,420 


38,333 


70 


103,443 


90,392 


60 


137,088 


40,000 


18 


60,000 


5,087,013 




6,228,277 



Barbour 

Berkeley 

Boone 

Braxton 

Brooke 

Cabell 

Calhoun 

Clay 

Doddridge 

Fayette 

Gilmer 

Grant 

Greenbrier 

Hampshire 

Hancock 

Hardy 

Harrison 

Jackson 

Jefferson 

Kanawha 

Lewis 

Lincoln 

Logan 

McDowell 

Marion 

Marshall 

Mason 

Mercer 

Mineral 

Mingo 

Monongalia 

Monroe 

Morgan 

Nicholas 

Ohio 

Pendleton 

Pleasants 

Pocahontas 

Preston 

Putnam 

Raleigh 

Randolph 

Ritchie 

Roane 

Summers 

Taylor 

Tucker 

Tyler 

Upshur 

Wayne 

Webster 

Wetzel 

Wirt 

Wood 

Wyoming 



251,520 

164,480 
327,680 
346,240 

62,080 
167,040 
179,328 
222,720 
220,160 
496,000 
234,880 
309,120 
672,640 
423,680 

55,040 
380,160 
Z66,355 
300,985 
136,320 
558,080 
264,960 
282,240 
316,160 
430,720 
201,882 
201,766 
287,533 
279,680 
212,480 
271,360 
234,573 
296,960 
150,400 
442,240 

71,040 
452,480 

90,880 
549,120 
429,440 
227,392 
358,400 
695,040 
292,480 
311,168 
235,520 

84,480 
281,600 
166,477 
208,640 
348,800 
377,600 
230,701 
147,776 
228,480 
336,640 



1.000 



10,500 
9,670 



5,980 
17,500 

53,666 
13,200 
57,000 
140,100 
12,000 



64,500 



8.800 



7,000 
35,000 
15,000 



18,700 



8,200 
7,600 
29,900 



130,500 



137,900 



212,950 
30,000 



117,600 
195,570 
75 



3,800 



56,800 
1,200 
1,500 
3,600 
122,000 
2,000 



44,150 



15,000 
8,000 
200,000 
24,100 



1,500 
75,000 



190,000 
1.700 

63,400 
105,900 

15,000 



81,000 



52,000 
160,000 
400,000 



5,000 
7,000 
200,000 
11,400 
14,600 
25,000 
112,600 



2,000 



138,780 
58,000 
4,500 
112,500 
198,350 
14,310 
4,800! 
7,800 



130,400 



17,100 
80,000 
133,000 
12,800 
6,000 
1,000 
192,490 



Totals 



115,771,616 



1,574,295 



2,882,030 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL, SURVEY. 



101 



Estimates furnished by the owners of timberland show that 
there are approximately 190,000 acres of virgin forest contain- 
ing from 20 to 90 per cent of spruce in Randolph, Pocahontas, 
Webster, Pendleton, Greenbrier, and Tucker counties, with a 
few outlying patches in Grant and Preston counties. The quan- 
tity of standing timber in the virgin spruce belt is estimated at 
iy2 billion feet of spruce, 1 billion feet of hemlock, and >4 bil- 
lion feet of hardwoods, the principal of which are beech, birch 
and maple. Small areas of virgin white pine are still to be 
found in Mercer, Raleigh, Greenbrier, and Pendleton counties. 

The forests of virgin hardwood contain not far from 12 
billion feet of timber. The chief hardwoods, named approxi- 
mately in the order of their abundance are as follows : 

White Oak 30 per cent. 

Other oaks — Chestnut Oak, Red Oak, 
Black Oak, Scarlet Oak, etc ..... . 15 per cent. 

Yellow Poplar 18 per cent. 

Chestnut 12 per cent. 

Maple — Sugar Maple, Red Maple. . . 5 per cent. 

Beech 5 per cent. 

Basswood 5 per cent. 

Hickories 

Ashes 



Black Cherry 

Cucumber 

Buckeye 

Locust 

Walnut 

Sycamore 

White Elm 

Others 



10 per cent. 



Cut-over Forest. 



The cut-over forests vary greatly, both as to kinds and 
quantity of timber, in the different sections of the State. As a 
rule, there is a fairly good reproduction of valuable species of 
trees in the hardwood regions. In some sections that were 
worked from 25 to 40 years ago, or longer, there is an excellent 



102 



PRESENT FOREST CONDITIONS. 



stand of timber trees of a sufficient size for saw logs. Many of 
the tracts more recently cut over, however, have been worked 
down to a low limit and the remaining timber would estimate 
almost nothing. The cut-over forests of spruce and other 
softwoods have only a slight reproduction in most cases. There 
is a tendency in many softwood sections toward a natural re- 
placement of the original species by locust and other hardwoods. 

Farmers* Woodlots. 

Almost every farmer in West Virginia has retained an area 
of wooded land on his farm from which he can draw for domes- 
tic purposes. The area of woodlots in some counties is very 
small, not exceeding 10 or 15 per cent. In others it is much 
above this — in some cases as much as 80 or 90 per cent. In a 
number of the hilly counties in the western half of the State, 
especially, the average woodlots are found to contain a scrubby 
growth of white oak, and other hardwoods, with but little tim- 
ber that is valuable for lumber or even for railway ties or for 
poles. Other counties have a large percentage of woodlots with 
from 1,000 to 5,000 feet of merchantable timber per acre. 
Throughout the State there is a tendency toward neglect of 
woodlots, and thousands of acres of land in rough ravines and 
on hillsides that are now overgrown with worthless brush and 
briers could easily be made to yield profitable crops of locust 
and other valuable species of trees. 

Burnt Areas. 

There are fully 70,000 acres that are almost or quite desti- 
tute of trees lying along the west side of the AUeghanies and 
the nearby parallel ranges. About 20,000 acres of this is in 
Pendleton county and the remainder in Eandolph, Tucker and 
Grant counties. In some places, as on the Roaring Plains in 
Eandolph, on the summit of Spruce mountain in Pendleton, and 
in smaller areas on the summits of stony ridges in Tucker and 
Grant, the bare rocks are exposed and the existence of any vege- 
tation other than lichens, mosses, and the like, is impossible. In 
most places, however, there is still enough soil remaining to sup- 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



103 



ply suitable ground for a dense growth of ferns and wild grasses. 
Throughout the whole burnt region, particularly on the waters 
of Stony river in Grant, on the Blackwater Fork of Cheat, in 
Tucker, on Glady Fork of Cheat and on Gandy creek in Ran- 
dolph, and on the headwaters of Greenbrier in Pocahontas, there 
are burns which have not yet suffered so seriously as the one 
first mentioned. These are on the road to complete destruction, 
however, and a few. more fires will put them out of reach of 
easy help. 

There seem to be four very well marked stages which ap- 
pear in succession when fires run frequently through the for- 
ests of the West Virginia spruce belt and adjacent highlands. 
These may be designated as the "fire cherry" stage, the black- 
berry stage, the fern stage, and the bare ground stage. An ex- 
amination of any region of comparatively recent lumber opera- 
tions, immediately on the west of the Alleghany mountains, will 
show the four stages more or less perfectly. The reduction by 
fire in this region takes place, with numerous variations, as fol- 
lows : It has been and is still the practice of the manufactures 
of spruce timber in this State to cut to a very low limit, leaving 
nothing but small saplings standing among the tangled heaps 
of treetops and brush from "haul roads." About the first or 
second year after lumbermen have abandoned their cut over 
lands fires are almost certain to burn through them, with the 
result that practically all the small and inferior trees left 
standing are killed. The first fires are usually followed by a 
dense growth of wild red cherries or ' ' fire cherries, ' ' as they are 
commonly called. When these are killed blackberries frequently 
spring up and occupy the ground almost entirely until they are 
in turn killed in the same way. Thousands of acres of this 
stage can be seen along Glady Fork and Dry Fork of Cheat and 
on the head of the West Fork of Greenbrier. In the next stage 
a tall, branching species of fern — the bracken — often takes ex- 
clusive possession and, if the soil is not completely destroyed 
by fires, remains indefinitely. A good example of this stage can 
be seen along the headwaters of Big and Seneca creeks in Pen- 
dleton county and in the plateau region of Tucker county. The 
bare ground stage is found only in the areas where the vege- 
table soil has been entirely destroyed exposing the loose^ broken 



104 



PRESENT FOREST CONDITIONS. 



fragments of sandstone. In limestone areas bluegrass occupies 
the ground wherever it is made bare by fire or otherwise. 

Planting. 

In spite of the poor encouragement given by our laws to 
those who plant trees a few substantial plantations have been 
begun. 

The Western Maryland Railroad Company planted 8 acres 
in hardy catalpas along their railroad east of Elkins in 1906; 
Geo. C. Craig & Son have planted a small area on the East Fork 
of the Greenbrier river with spruce, white pine, tamarack and lo- 
cust; the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company planted 
25,000 spruce trees on Shavers Fork of Cheat in 1909, and 170,- 
000 spruces and 2,000 yellow poplars in 1910. The E. I. du 
Pont de Nemours Powder Company has made partial arrange- 
ments for rather extensive plantations in Mercer, Harrison and 
Cabell counties, for the purpose, in part, of protecting their 
mills. 



CHAPTER VI 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Had all parts of West Virginia been as easily reached and 
settled as the valleys of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers, 
on the east of the Alleghanies, or as the valleys and low hill 
areas along the Ohio, the Great Kanawha and other rivers on 
the west and south, the conditions in all sections would be more 
uniform, and a larger area than the county could be taken as a 
unit for study. Such^ however, has not been the case. Large 
areas in the interior of the state, remote from navigable streams 
and from the main lines of travel, have been occupied and de- 
veloped slowly ; and many of the rough and unproductive moun- 
tainous sections have acted as complete barriers to settlement. ' 
Almost every conceivable condition and stage of development, 
therefore, will be observed in crossing the State from east to 
west. Some sections have been settled for more than 150 years, 
and a large percentage of the forest removed; others have been 
partially settled and improved in more recent years; and still 
others have remained to the present time in their wild, original 
state. A discussion of local conditions is intended to assist the 
owners of large and small tracts of woodland in making intelli- 
gent application of the recommendations contained in this re- 
port. 

In the following discussions of past and present conditions 
in the 55 counties of the State the writer has depended for in- 
formation on a hasty and, in some cases, slight examination of 
the forests, the streams, and the lumber operations in each 
county; on the facts gathered from hundreds of lumbermen, 
surveyors, county officials and other citizens in every part of the 
w State; and on the facts regarding the subjects treated in the 
publications of state and county historians and othei*s who are 
the authors of hand-books, reports and other literature. 

The areas of Brooke, Calhoun, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, 



106 



CONDITIONS BY. COUNTIES. 



Marion, Marshall, Mason, ^lonongalia, Ohio, Putnam, Roane, 
Tyler, Wetzel and Wirt counties have been determined with 
accuracy. The others are only approximate. 

BARBOUR COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Barbour county, formed from parts of Lewis, Harrison and 
Randolph, lies some distance northeast of the center of the 
state. Its area is 393 square miles or 251,520 acres. 

Topography. 

The surface of the county is hilly except where Laurel 
ridge, the last western ridge of the AUeghanies, forms an ele- 
vated and continuous mountain border on the east. As a whole, 
the area is less rugged than parts of Upshur, .Randolph and 
Tucker counties on the south and east. The hillsides facing 
the streams in many sections are steep and rough, but back 
from these the hills are well rounded and smooth and admit of 
easy cultivation. The bottom lands along Tygarts Valley river 
are very narrow as compared with those farther up the stream 
in Randolph and with those of Cheat river in Tucker. There 
are areas of considerable extent, however, that are level, or al- 
most level, lying on the ridges and uplands of Glade and Cove 
districts and in some sections farther west. The elevations of 
Barbour range from about 1,000 feet above tide at the point 
where Tygarts Valley river leaves the county, up to 3,075 feet 
where the eastern line crosses a high point on Laurel Hill about 
3 miles directly east of the town of Belington. 

Original Forest Conditions. 

Almost the whole area was once covered with a dense 
growth of hardwoods. The region on the west, drained by 
Gnatty creek. Elk creek, and Brushy Fork, should be especially 
mentioned in this connection, for it is doubtful if any portion 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



107 



of the State produced a heavier and a more excellent stand of 
timber. Here in the valleys of the streams and in the numerous 
rich coves the yellow poplar, sugar maple, oaks, hickories, black 
walnut, white ash, bass wood, chestnut, cucumber, and many 
others, grew abundantly. All of Pleasant district, on the north- 
west, and the drainage basins of First and Second Big runs and 
Pecks run in Union district on the southwest were also noted 
for their hardwood forests. Eastward from the Tygarts Valley 
and Buckhannon rivers there are large areas which are less fer- 
tile than in the localities mentioned above, and in these the 
original forests contained fewer species and lighter stands of 
timber trees. The prevailing timber trees in the eastern part 
along Laurel ridge were chestnut, locust and chestnut oak on the 
ridges and flats, with poplars, ashes, cucumbers and others in 
the rich coves and with hemlock, birches and beech along the 
streams. 

The Lumber Industry. 

Some sections of the county have been settled for 140 years ; 
and in these nearly all the timber of the original forests was de- 
stroyed in clearing the land for cultivation. Before the year 
1860 most of the residences and out-buildings were made of 
logs. The small amount of lumber used in an early day was 
manufactured by hand-operated whip saws and by ''up-and 
down" water saw mills. There was an abundance of straight- 
grained yellow poplar, chestnut, red oak and black walnut tim- 
ber for fence rails, shingles^ boards and puncheons, without 
using the curly walnuts, knotty oaks and twisted chestnuts, 
which were all classed together and burned as worthless timber. 

A few of the primitive mills which operated approximately 
between the years 1845 and 1875 were Shuttlesworth 's mill near 
Peeltree, Hall's mill, Teter's mill and McCoy's mill, on Buck- 
hannon river, Kittle 's mill at Georgetown, Stout's mill on Ty- 
garts Valley river and the Nicola mill at Moatsville. Some of 
these were at first run by water and later by steam. One of the 
first stationary steam saw and grist mills in the county was 
built about the year 1856 at Peeltree by John Maxwell. This 
mill sawed lumber for local use during a period of 80 or 40 
years. 



108 



COITOITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



About the year 1883 a narrow gauge railroad was built 
from Grafton to PMlippi and a few years later was widened to 
regular gauge and extended up the Tygarts Valley river to 
Belington. Immediately after the completion of this railroad 
portable saw mills were stationed, first along the line and later 
farther back, toward the heads of the streams. Since then there 
has been a continual operation of portable mills in all sections 
where merchantable timber could be found. The principal ship- 
ping points for lumber have been Moatsville, Belington, Philippi 
and Clements. There have been no band saw mills in the 
county. Considerable timber from along the river, however, 
was drifted out and manufactured about 25 years ago on Cur- 
tin's band mill at Grafton and later by G. C. Blatchley at the 
same place. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

The only forest land of any consequence now remaining in 
the county lies in a belt from 1 to 3 miles wide extending along 
the western face of Laurel ridge on the east and adjoining 
Randolph and Tucker counties. There are a few small virgin 
areas in that section which contain in the aggregate about 1,000 
acres, and approximately 12,000 acres of cut-over forest. There 
are about 3,000 acres of cut-over forest, also, lying in broken 
tracts along the Tygarts Valley and Middle Fork rivers from a 
short distance above Philippi to Clements. 

The small areas of woodland throughout the county are 
principally connected with cleared farm land and contain only 
a small stand of merchantable timber. 

BERKELEY COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Berkeley, the second oldest county in West Virginia, was 
formed in the year 1772 from a part of Frederick county. It 
lies in the Eastern Panhandle, between Jefferson county on the 
east, Morgan county on the west, Maryland on the north, and 
Virginia on the south. Its area is 257 square miles or 164,480 
acres. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



109 



Topography. 

The eastern half of the county is a rich limestone area with 
an average elevation of about 500 feet. Here we find the last 
traces of the eastern foothills of the AUeghanies in West Vir- 
ginia, forming low, smooth ridges many of which have been 
broken into rounded and elliptical elevations by the action of 
eastward-flowing streams. The western half of the county is 
rougher, having 2 well-defined mountain ridges and the east- 
ern face of a third one. Little North Mountain extends through 
the county in a northeast and southwest direction, entering 
from Frederick county, Virginia, and terminating near the Po- 
tomac river. Its elevation is from 1,000 feet to 1,500 feet. An 
early historian speaks of this mountain as ''remarkable on ac- 
count of its rising immediately like a wall", and describes the 
summit as "beautifully undulated in all its parts'*. About 6 
miles to the east of North mountain is Third hill, and 2 miles 
farther on is Sleepy Creek mountain the latter forming the 
natural bounadry line between Berkeley and IMorgan for some 
15 miles. In a few places on this mountain the line crosses 
elevations of a little more than 1,800 feet. 

The county is divided from Maryland by the Potomac 
river. Its longest tributaries in this area are Opequon creek 
on the east and Back creek flowing just west of Little North 
mountain. Meadow branch flows between Third hill and Sleepy 
Creek mountain passing around the northern end of the latter 
and flowing into Sleepy creek in Morgan county. Mill creek, 
Middle creek and Tuscarora creek are important branches of 
the Opequon, and Tilhance creek is the largest tributary of 
Back creek. 

Original Forest Conditions. 

There is little authority for making a definite statement in 
regard to the original forests of the county, for original condi- 
tions in most places have long ago passed away. This is particu- 
larly the case in the rich agricultural districts where the best of 
the timber must have grown. On some of the mountain ridges 
in the west, it is true, there are boundaries of woodland that 



110 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



have not been so greatly disturbed; but the timber on these 
often consists of such species as chestnut oak, bear oak, pitch 
pine and scrub pine, and does not fairly represent the original 
forests in other sections. It can be gathered from the character 
of the small and somewhat isolated woodlots of the eastern sec- 
tions, and from the records left by various writers on the re- 
sources of West Virginia, that there was once an enormous 
growth of oaks, poplars, hickories and other hardwoods in the 
fertile valley lands. Yellow pine is said to have been common 
on Back mountain and vicinity. Pitch pine and scrub pine, as 
well as chestnut oak and some other varieties, grew abundantly 
on thin, dry land. 

The Lumber Industry. 

Hon. C. J. Faulkner, writing of the industries in Berkeley 
county in 1810, gives the following information : ' ' There are in 
this county upwards of 50 grist mills or merchants mills, as 
many saw mills, several fulling mills, an oil mill and a paper 
mill". 

It is probable that within 25 years from the above date the 
number of saw mills in operation was much smaller. From 
Joseph Martin's list of the wood- working industries of 1835 we 
learn that there were "7 wagon makers, 1 chair maker and 3 
tanners" at that time, but no mention is made of even a single 
saw mill. 

After the days when the old, upright saw mills had ceased 
to flourish in the county, small portable mills were brought in 
and have been moved from place to place for 50 years, sawing 
out "sets" wherever a few score logs could be brought together. 
Four or 5 mills still run irregularly. 

Much of the good white oak was cut for ship timber. The 
chestnut oak has been peeled for tan-bark and the trunks used 
for railroad ties. 

A water-power mill at Tuscarora was built in 1809 ; and a 
water-power box factory has been operated on the Opequon for 
about 100 years. 

The Auburn Wagon Company, of Martinsburg, uses about 
2 million feet annually of oak, ash, hickory, pine, gum and pop- 
lar in the manufacture of vehicles of various kinds. 



WEST VIKGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. Ill 

Present Forest Conditions. 

Mr. Alexander Clohan, of Martinsburg, gives the following 
information regarding the present conditions in Berkeley 
county : 

''The best tract of timber east of North mountain contains 
about 27 acres and lies a short distance west of Tabler station 
on the Cumberland Valley railroad. The woodlots belonging 
to the farmers throughout this section are fairly good but about 
half of the land owners have none at all. 

''Following down the Opequon we find the pine hill lands 
lying between Berkeley and Jefferson. IMost of the pine here 
is "Bull" pine and scrub pine and is not valuable commer- 
cially except for boxes etc." 

"There is more timber and a much greater percentage of 
woodland from the middle of the county westward. The west 
side of North mountain is covered with fairly good timber, con- 
sisting of hickory, pine, chestnut, chestnut oak, black oak and 
others. Lower down there are water maples, sycamores and 
others that usually grow with them. There is probably an 
area of about 1,000 acres in that section that has not been closely 
cut over. This is held in rather small tracts by different owners. 
There are about 10,000 acres of forest land on Back mountain 
and on Sleepy Creek mountain. The timber on this area is of 
little value except for staves and cross-ties. 

" GrerardstoAvn and Hedgesville districts are the roughest 
and most mountainous in the county. The other 5 districts are 
well improved, Arden and Opequon having perhaps 90 per cent 
of cleared land. 

"Pine comes up almost spontaneously on abandoned land 
on the west side of North mountain, and on the east side locusts 
seem to predominate." 

BOONE COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Boone county, formed from parts of Kanawha, CabeU and 
Logan, in 1847, lies in the southwestern part of the State. Tts 
area is 512 square miles or 327,680 acres. 



112 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Topography. 

The surface of the county, which is broken into irregular 
hiUs and long, elevated ridges, slopes from an elevation of about 
600 feet at the point where Big Coal river leaves in the northern 
end, up to 3,500 feet along the southern border. 

The principal streams are the Big and Little Coal rivers, 
both flowing through the county in a northwesterly direction 
and uniting a short distance beyond the county line. The right- 
hand tributaries of Big Coal are Bull creek, Lick creek, Short 
creek, Tony creek, Joe creek and White Oak creek; its left- 
hand tributaries are Fork creek. Brush creek, Drawdy creek 
and Laurel creek. Little Coal river is formed near Madison, 
the county seat, by the union of Pond and Spruce forks which 
drain the whole southern and southwestern part of the county. 
The principal tributaries of the Little Coal below Madison are 
Turtle creek. Lick creek. Rock creek, Camp creek, Hewitt creek 
and Horse creek. The headwaters of Mud river drain a small 
area in the western part of the county. 

The larger streams flow slowly in most places, and between 
high hills that slope abruptly to the narrow valleys. 

Original Forest Conditions. 

The forests of Boone contained little timber except the 
hardwoods. There was a fringe of hemlocks along many of the 
streams, and toward the heads of Big and Little Coal rivers this 
species grew in considerable abundance. Pitch Dines grew on 
ridges and southern faces in some parts. 

The following statement in regard to the timber in the vir- 
gin forests of the county was written 17 years ago when fully 
one half of the poplar timber" remained untouched and when 
three fourths of all other kinds'* were standing in their virgin 
state. 

**The principal timber trees are poplar, walnut, oaks, ash, 
hickory, maple, beech, birch, lynn, pine, hemlock, cherry, chest- 
nut and locust. Poplar and wahiut timber is especially fine in 
Boone and trees of enormous size are often reported. 

"A poplar tree was cut in 1889 on the waters of Big coal 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



113 



river in Boone county, the dimensions of which are given by 
Maj. Jhos. L. Broun, of Charleston, as follows: The tree meas- 
ured eight feet and nine inches in diameter at the base, and the 
distance from the ground to the first limb was seventy-one feet. 
From the tree were cut six logs, each twelve feet in length, the 
diameters of which at the small ends were respectively seven 
feet, four inches; seven feet; six feet eight inches; six feet one 
inch ; five feet nine inches, and five feet six inches. 

^'Wm. C. Reynolds, civil engineer, says: I found on West 
Fork near the head and over one thousand feet above the foot 
of the mountain, a walnut tree eight feet in diameter and tall 
enough to furnish half a dozen average length logs."* 

The Lumber Industry. 

According to Mr. William Thompson, of Madison, '*Up to 
the year 1830 no timber of any note had been taken out of the 
county. About this time, however, the people who lived along 
Little and Big Coal rivers began to cut the finest of the poplar 
for flat-boats which they constructed themselves and floated to 
St. Albans during freshets. From there the boats were towed 
by steam boats and distributed above at the various salt fur- 
naces along the Great Kanawha. The whole flat-boat was made 
of poplar except the white oak boat pins. At •first the boats 
were comparatively small and the gunwales were hewed and 
sawed by hand. The price then was from $2 to $3 a running 
foot. Later, when the flat-boats were. made larger and were 
loaded with fencing plank and staves, the price was reduced to 
$1 a foot. There were probably as many as 100 flat-boats built 
on the Little and Big Coal rivers each year for 40 years, or 
more." 

Beginjiing about the year 1855 the Coal River Navigation 
Company put in a system of locks and dams on the Big Coal 
River from its mouth at St. Albans to the village of Peytona 30 
miles above. The river was thus made navigable for boats and 
barges, and large quantities of coal, logs, staves, tan bark, and 
hoop-poles were brought out of the county. During the Civil 

* *'T.he Mountain State"— Summem 
8 



114 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



War navigation on the river was stopped, the dams were broken, 
and all improvements greatly damaged. After the war was 
over repairs were made and the system remained intact until 
about the year 1875. 

Mr. Julian Hill, of Madison, states that the first steam saw 
mill in the county was put in operation at Peytona on the Big 
Coal river about 1840 and was known as the Van Horn mill. 
Before the completion of the Chesapeake and Ohio branch rail- 
road to Madison in 1907, however, there had been but few steam 
saw mills in operation in the county and most of the timber cut 
had been manufactured on mills at St. Albans and other points 
outside. The Knight Lumber Company, at Sattes, and the 
Mohler Lumber Company, near St. Albans, are still floating 
not far from 13,000,000 feet of timber each year down the Coal 
river from Boone. 

The largest 'operation located in the county has been that 
of Peytona Lumber Company, with a single band mill at Pey- 
tona on the Big Coal river. This plant was put in operation 
in 1905. 

During the past 5 years small mills have literally flocked 
to the forests of the county made accessible by the building of 
the railroad. There are now not fewer than 40 mills sawing in 
different sections. 

Since the railroad was extended from Madison to Clothier 
in 1909 a large band mill belonging to Boone Timber Company 
has been built just across the line in Logan county. This mill 
will be supplied in part by logs from Boone county. 

Present Forest Conditions. 

The county is covered largely with cut-over forests aggre- 
gating about 200,000 acres. Most of this forest land is ovmed 
by companies which are holding or operating it for coal or 
lumber. There are also approximately 10,500 acres of virgin 
forest land lying principally in four areas. Two virgin tracts 
lie wholly within the county, one near Peytona and another not 
far from the northern end of the county on waters of the Little 
Coal river. In the southern end a portion of a large virgin area 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



115 



extends into the county from Logan, and on the west part of a 
10,000 acre tract on the head of Mud river lies inside the Boone 
line. 

At least four fifths of all the woodland still contains some 
merchantable timber, of which the leading kind is oak. 

The farm land lies in almost continuous belts along the 
principal streams and in small scattered patches among the 
hills and mountains. Farms are more numerous in the northern 
than in the southern end. Much of the rough, hilly land is un- 
•fit for agriculture and the timber should be given the right of 
way. 

The clearing of the narrow, sandy bottoms of the rivers 
has materially affected the character of their channels. It is 
stated by old residents of the county that both Big and Little 
Coal rivers were one third narrower 40 years ago than they 
are at present. Originally the water flowed over solid rock bot- 
toms and at every turn there was a deep, clear pool of water 
with shallows above and below. Now the deep places are full 
of sand which has washed from cultivated fields and the stream 
channels have been widened by the falling in of unprotected 
banks. 

BAXTON COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Braxton county was formed in 1836 from parts of Lewis, 
Kanawha and Nicholas. It is the central county of the State 
and has an area of 541 square miles or 346,240 acres. 

Topography. 

The surface of the county is rendered irregular by high 
hills and mountains and by narrow river valleys. The hilltops 
and mountaintops reach elevations ranging from- about 1,000 
feet in a small area in the north, to a little over 2,000 feet in 
the south along the Webster and Nicholas lines. The summits 
lie uniformly in nearly all sections at about 1,600 feet, being 



116 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



greatly modified remnants of a plateau which has been worn 
away by the waters of the several rivers and the numerous 
smaller streams which have flowed through it. 

The county now has portions of 5 rivers. Of these the Elk 
and the Little Kanawha are the largest, the former flowing 
through the county in a southwesterly direction and the latter 
flowing northwest through the northern end. The principal 
tributaries of the Elk are Big Birch river, Coon creek, Big and 
Little Buffalo creeks, Buckeye creek. Wolf creek, Stony creek. 
Mill creek and Laurel creek, emptying from the south, and 
Duck creek, Tate creek, Little Otter creek, Granny creek and 
Holly river, flowing in from the north. The chief tributaries of 
the Little Kanawha are the Right and Left Forks of Steer creek, 
and Cedar creek, flowing into Gilmer county on the northwest, 
and Oil creek, Salt Lick Fork, Ejiawls creek and Fall run, 
emptying into the river between Burnsville and Falls Mill. 

Original Timber Conditions. 

According to an early writer on the timber resources of the 
State, ''AH the varieties (of timber) common to the altitude 
and latitude of the county (Braxton) .are found. Poplar and 
the various kinds of oak are the most plentiful, though there is 
an abundance of hickory, ash, maple and some walnut. The 
poplar of this county is remarkably fine, the rich soil having 
produced a very large growth and the trees reach enormous 
proportions. The oak timber is also very fine and in much de- 
mand. ' ' 

Pitch pine grew in most sections on dry hills and hemlocks 
were commonly found thinly scattered along streams. J. I. 
Bender, of Burnsville, reports small areas of white pine near 
chapel post office on Steer creek, and a scattered growth of red 
cedar on Cedar creek and at the falls of Little Kanawha. 

The Lumber Industry. 

The Elk and the Little Kanawha rivers were the principal 
outlets for the timber of Braxton county before the building of 
the Baltimore and Ohio and the Coal and Coke railroads. As 



WEST \TRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



117 



early as 1846, and perhaps several years earlier, there were many 
persons employed along Elk river in constructing flat-boats. 
These boats which were often 18 or 20 feet wide and from 75 to 
120 feet long were largely made of yellow poplar. Many of 
the finest poplar trees groAving close by, or within easy reach of 
the river were cut down, squared, pitted and sawed in two with 
whip saws for flat-boat gunwales. At the date mentioned above, 
and for several years thereafter, these boats were loaded with 
split staves and taken to the salt furnaces in the Great Kanawha 
valley. There the staves were sold to coopers who manufactured 
salt barrels, and the flat-boats were sold to salt producers for 
the transportation down the river of the large quantities of salt 
then being produced in that region. The boats usually sold at 
$1 for each running foot. Some of the first timber to go out 
from the county was floated and rafted on the Elk and Little 
Kanawha rivers. This industry was carried on at first prin- 
cipally by the farmers or the owners of small boundaries of 
woodland and not by companies as in some other sections. The 
principal timbers rafted were poplar and black walnut. In 
later years lumber companies with mills at Charleston, Parkers- 
burg, and other points bought stumpage high up on the Elk 
and the Little Kanawha and rafted out their logs. 

One of the pioneer mills of central West Virginia was lo- 
cated at or near BuUtown on the Little Kanawha. It is proba- 
ble that this mill was in operation more than a hundred years 
ago. Several primitive ' water saw mills were in operation 60 
years ago along the larger streams. Two of these were Peeble's 
mill at the mouth of Holly river and Frame 's mill at Frametown 
on the Elk. When the Richwood branch of the B. & 0. railroad 
was built through the county and a branch extended to Sutton 
in 1892, a lively lumber industry was begun by portable saw 
mills and by larger stationary mills in the interior forests. 
Prior to the building of these roads there had been little sawing 
except by water-power mills. 

Pardee and Curtin Lumber Company operated a band mill 
at Sutton from about 1892 to 1905. The logs for the mill were 
largely obtained in Holly district of Braxton and in Webster 
county. 

T. M. Mitchell began to operate a circular mill on Wolf 



118 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



creek in 1895 and cut a large quantity of good timber from 
the H. L. Robinson tract of 2,240 acres. Later the I\Iead and 
Speer Company operated a circular mill on the same tract cut- 
ting the largest remaining timber. The latter company ceased 
its operations on this tract in 1902. The West Virginia Pulp 
and Paper Company cut the pulp timber from an adjoining 
tract of 2,250 acres^ beginning about the year 1898. 

The Braxton Coal and Lumber Company established a 
band mill at G-illespie on Elk river in 1894 and operated it for 
3 years. 

The Holly Lumber Company had a band mill at Palmer 
from about 1895 to 1900. Most of the timber sawed by this 
company was from Webster county. 

John Paulhamus and Son operated a band saw mill at Cen- 
tralia and cut timber from a tract of 13,000 acres in Braxton 
and Webster. Their operation continued from about 1900 to 
1906. 

Smith Brothers were extensive operators of portable saw 
mills on the Elk and Little Kanawha divide between 1903 and 
1907. 

From 1894 to 1900 Henry Waggy with portable mills cut 
timber on a 12,000 acre tract on the head of Birch river in 
Braxton and Webster. His lumber was hauled on a tram road 
to the Baltimore and Ohio railro'ad. 

J. H. Chapman and Peter Goble purchased 2,000 acres of 
timber land on Grannys creek near Sutton about the year 1894. 
and cut the timber from it with a circular mill located at Karl 
siding. Their operation continued for about 3 years. 

The Interstate Cooperage Company has been operating 
from 1 to 5 stave mills in the Braxton county part of their 
large forest lands since 1906. The sawed stave industry in 
Braxton began with the operations of this company. 

The Meed and Speer Company has been running a band 
mill at Jennings on Strange creek since 1904. 

A score or more of portable saw mills are sawing irregu- 
larly throughout the county at the present time. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



119 



Present Forest Conditions. 

Braxton county still has a few areas of virgin forest. These 
are located principally between the Elk river and the Gilmer 
and Calhoun lines several miles west of Sutton. Their com- 
bined area is about 9,670 acres. The 24,000 acres of cut-over 
forest land is located on both sides of the Elk and Holly rivers 
near the Webster line, on Strange creek and Birch river in the 
southern end, and about 5,000 acres adjoining the virgin areas 
above referred to. 

The remainder of the county is divided up into small farms 
most of which contain only sufficient timber for ordinary do- 
mestic purposes. 

BROOKE COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Brooke County, situated in the Northern Panhandle, was 
formed in 1797 from part of Ohio coimty. Its area is 97 
square miles or 62,080 acres. 

Topography. 

The hills of the northern and central sections of the county 
are low and are comparatively well rounded and smooth. Long 
ridges lie between the numerous small streams which flow 
northward and southward into the larger creeks tributaries of 
the Ohio river. The hills of the southern half of the county, 
particularly those facing the Ohio river and those along Buf- 
falo creek and its tributaries, are too steep in many places to 
admit of successful cultivation. The elevation ranges from 657 
feet at the Ohio river to 1,377 feet at a point near the southern 
line. 

The county fronts on the Ohio river which flows along its 
western border for a distance of not less than 16 miles. The 
largest creek in the county is Buffalo creek which enters near 
the southeastern comer from Washington county, Pennsylvania, 



120 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



and flows northwestward in a tortnous course, emptying into 
the Ohio river at Wellsburg. In its passage through the county 
this stream has a fall of about 200 feet and presents every nat- 
ural feature favorable to the development of its great water 
power. Cross creek in the central part and Harmon creek in 
the northern part of the county are two important tributaries 
of the Ohio river. 

Early Settlement and Timber Conditions. 

Brooke, like all the other counties of the Ohio valley, was 
originally well timbered with many kinds of hardwoods, and 
like many of them, also, was early settled by farmers who de- 
stroyed the bulk of the best timber in their clearings. Settle- 
ment began at Charlestown (now Wellsburg) as early as 1772. 
Since that time almost every acre of tillable land has been de- 
voted to the growing of some agricultural crop. 

The Lumber Industry. 

The excellent water power easily obtainable on the larger 
creeks encouraged the building at an early date of a number of 
combination grist and sash saw mills. These primitive mills 
ground the grain of the early settlers and sawed a considerable 
quantity of choice lumber for domestic use. They have long 
since ceased to run but many of the names of the owners are 
still remembered by the oldest living inhabitants of the county. 
The names and locations of several of the mills are here given : 
William Briggs' mill was located on Buffalo creek one mile above 
its mouth at Wellsburg; Casner's mill, on Buffalo creek, two 
miles above Wellsburg; Richard Waugh's mill, on Buffalo 
creek, where Waugh's dam is now located; (James and David 
Waugh replaced the old mill at this place, about 1866, with a 
new sash mill which they subsequently changed to a '^muley 
mill") Bowman's mill, located on Buffalo creek, five miles 
above its mouth; and Campbell's mill, on Buffalo creek at Beth- 
any. This mill was owned by Bishop Campbell, the founder of 
Bethany College. Besides the mills named above, there were 
Sander's mill, Clark's mill, and Fowler's mill, on Cross creek. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



121 



Brown's mill and Jones' mill on Castleman creek, and Apple- 
gate's mill on Cummins run. The dates of operation of these 
several mills arc not obtainable. It is certain, however, that 
some of them W(3re built very early in the nineteenth century 
and that nearly all were operating in 1850. Some of them con- 
tinued to run for several years after the close of the civil war. 

Robert T. Moore had the only tan yard in the county. This 
he built at Charlestown (Wellsburg) about 1790 and continued 
to operate it for several years. The bark used in tanning was 
bought at a low price from the immediate vicinity. 

Several coopers carried on their industry in a limited way 
in the county. Of these the principal were William McGee, 
who manufactured tight barrels, and William G. Howard, who 
manufactured flour barrels up to the year 1890. 

The first steam saw mill in the county was Coen's station- 
ary mill built in 1864. About 4 years later small portable saw 
mills began to come in. These have since sawed in all parts and 
have cut most of the timber remaining after the date of their 
introduction. As many as 8 or 10 portable mills were in opera- 
tion at various times and 3 or 4 still saw irregularly. 

The stave industry was carried on to some extent for 3 or 4 
years. This began in the summer of 1890 when the first stave 
saw mill was brought in from Ohio. Two or three mills operated 
during the period mentioned. 

Most of the black walnut in the county was shipped out in the 
log. John Virgin, who bought logs from 1885 to 1909, was the 
principal shipper. 

Large numbers of white oak, black oak and red oak trees 
were used in the manufacture of shingles several years ago. 

Within the last five years a great quantity of white oak 
has been shipped in the form of square timber. 

Present Timber Conditions. 

The constant drain upon the timber of the county through 
a period of more than a hundred years has reduced the stand 
to almost nothing, from a commercial standpoint. About 10 
per cent of the whole area is still in woodland of some kind. 
This occupies, chiefly, the rougher hillsides and ravines and is 



122 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



held by the farmers for domestic use. In a very few eases the 
woodlots contain some valuable timber. ]\Iost of them, how- 
ever, have been closely cut over and many acres are growing 
worthless trees. 

CABELL COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Cabell county, formed from part of Kanawha in 1809, lies 
on the Ohio river in the southwestern part of the State. Its 
area is 261 square miles or 167,040 acres. 

Topography. 

The surface of the county is hilly, rising gradually toward 
the east from the Ohio river. The Ohio river valley here varies 
greatly in width. At Huntington it is a little over a mile wide. 
A short distance northeast of Guyandotte the hills slope almost 
to the river leaving a very narrow valley for nearly 3 miles. 
North of this the valley is half a mile wide for 3 miles, and then 
comes another 3 miles, or more, where the hillsides slope dovm 
almost to the water's edge. Northward from this the valley is 
wide to the ]\Iason county line. Low water mark on the Ohio 
river at Huntington is 494 feet, and high water mark is 551 
feet. Porter knob, on the divide between Guyandot and Mud 
rivers, rises to 1,252 feet. 

The county is drained by the Ohio river and its tributaries. 
Its largest tributary is the Guyandot. Smaller tributaries, 
named from south to north, are Fourpole creek, Sevenmilc 
creek, Ninemile creek and Guyan creek. The principal tribu- 
tary of the Guyandot is Mud river emptying at Barboursville. 
The 3 rivers named have numerous small tributaries that drain 
every part of the county. 

Original Forest Conditions. 

The original forest has disappeared. Old residents state 
that there was once a very heavy growth of hardwoods, such as 
the oaks, yellow poplar, hickory, ash, cucumber, beech and ma- 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



123 



pie, and a little yellow pine in the Mils. The location of the 
county and the adaptibility of its soil for tree growth warrant 
such a statement. 

Destruction of Timber by Early Settlers. 

Much of the best timber was destroyed in the "clearings*' 
of the early settlers who came in considerable numbers into the 
valley of the Ohio and its tributaries in the county as early as 
1800. The best land, where the best timber grew, was taken 
first and all the valuable timber, except a small amount for do- 
mestic use, was rolled together in heaps and burned. 

The Lumber Industry. 

The first timber removed from the county for commercial 
purposes was rafted down the Ohio river. This industry began 
about 70 years ago. Rafting was not carried on, to any con- 
siderable extent, by large companies but chiefly by owners of 
small tracts of woodland. j\Iany men were thus employed dur- 
ing the winter months. Timber sold at a low price then and 
nothing more was expected in return, by those who engaged in 
this winter occupation, than pay for their labor. The rafts of 
logs were sold to saw mill operators along the Ohio river, as far 
down as Cincinnati and Louisville, and to timber dealers. 
Among the latter were Vinson, Goble and Pritchard who bought 
rafts at the mouth of Guyandot river. It is said that the county 
furnished not less than 50 per cent of the white oak timber used 
in building steam boats from Huntington to Louisville. The 
timber thus used was rafted to mills outside the state and manu- 
factured there. 

There were but few saw^ mills before 1860. A small num- 
ber of water-power and steam mills sawed for local use. Li 
about 1870, however, near the time of the building of the Chesa- 
peake and Ohio Railroad, several portable steam mills were put 
in operation. Some of these have continued to run, often with 
indifferent success, to the present time and have cut about all 
the timber that w^as not floated out at an earlier date. The 
principal shipping points have been Milton, Ona, Barboursville, 
Huntington and Guyandotte. 



124 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Three of the largest saw mill operators, during the early- 
years of the industry, were Ensign Manufacturing Company, 
1871, and The Lyons Stave Company, 1871, of Huntington, and 
"Wilson and Lyons of Guyandotte. 

The Present Timber Conditions. 

There is no virgin or cut-over forest land left in the county, 
and nearly all the merchantable timber has been removed from 
the farmers' woodlots. The second growth has been cut over 
time after time and the cross-tie timber, even, is no longer to 
be found except in small quantities. 

The woodlot area has been greatly reduced during the past 
few years to make room for the culture of tobacco and some of 
the upland has been cleared for apple orchards. 

CALHOUN COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Calhoun county, formed in 1855 from part of Gilmer, has a 
position slightly northwest of the center of the State. Its area 
is 280.2 square miles or 179,328 acres. 

Topography. 

The average elevation of the county is about 1,000 feet. 
The lowest point is where the Little Kanawha river flows out 
at 720 feet elevation and the highest point is on the summit of 
Mule Knob, 1,550 feet elevation, in the southern end of the 
county. The slope of the hillsides is generally gradual but, in 
some sections, the faces are steep and difficult to cultivate. The 
only level land is found along the Little Kanawha river and its 
West Fork and smaller areas along the larger creeks. 

The whole county is drained by the Little Kanawha river. 
The West Fork, with its Beech Fork and many smaller tribu- 
taries drains the southern half of the county, and the main 
river, with Leading creek, Yellow creek and Laurel creek as its 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



125 



larger northern tributaries, and with Steer creek, Sycamore 
creek and Pine run as its principal southern tributaries, drains 
the northern half. 

The Original Forest. 

It is asserted that a belt of land about 10 miles in width 
but with no definite Doundary lines having timber of a very 
durable character extends from the Cumberland Mountains of 
Tennessee across West Virginia and into Pennsylvania a short 
distance west of Uniontown. The portion of this belt in West 
Virginia has the most durable white oak timber to be found 
within the State. Whether the outlines of this strip of land, 
which would cross the southern end of Calhoun, can be accu- 
rately traced or not, it is certain that white oak and other hard- 
woods with remarkable freedom from defects and with great 
durability are found in that section of the county. The prin- 
cipal timbers of the county, as a whole, were white, red and 
chestnut oak, yellow poplar, black walnut, shellbark and pignut 
hickory, chestnut, beech, sugar and red maple and yellow^ pine 
There were smaller quantities of white ash, basswood, black 
cherry, sweet birch, sycamore, black gum, sw^eet buckeye, hem- 
lock, white and pitch pine and red cedar. The yellow pine was 
chiefly found in the western half of the county, and the white 
pine was confined to two small areas, one of about 2,000 acres 
on Laurel creek and another of less extent on the right hand 
side of Little Kanawha river, 6 miles below the town of Grants- 
ville. Scattered trees of white pine were found in other places. 

The Early Lumber Industry. 

Most of the timber not used and destroyed in the county 
by farmers has been taken out in rafts and barges on the Lit- 
tle Kanawha river. Rafting and drifting of logs has been going 
on for not less than 65 years. The first timber taken Avas yel- 
low poplar. Later other hardwoods and yellow and white pine 
were rafted to Parkersburg and to other points lower down on 
the Ohio river. Some rafts went onlj^ as far as Elizabeth, in 
Wirt county, where they were sawed on the large mills of Burns 



126 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Brothers and Huffman and of D. M. Miller. In 1893, according 
to George AV. Summers, author of "The Mountain State", most 
of the poplar had been cut for a distance of 2 miles back from 
the principal streams and the oak for a distance of 1 mile back. 
This author further states that fully one half of the county was. 
at that time, covered with original forest. 

The time of the ,coming of the first water mills, of which 
there were several, cannot be definitely fixed. The first steam 
mill in the county was owned by Louis Sliafer and began opera- 
tion in 1866. Since then many portable mills — as many as 50 
at some times — have sawed in various parts of the county. Lum- 
ber from these mills has been used locally or loaded in barges 
and towed doAvn the river by the use of gasoline boats. Large 
numbers of cross-ties have been sawed on portable mills and 
rafted down to Owensport, at the terminus of the Little Kanaw- 
ha Railroad, and to Parkersburg. In recent years Withers and 
A^andevender have cut staves and lumber in considerable quan- 
tities. Local mills have sawed m.ost of the good hickory into 
two-inch stock for the Ohio YaUey Bending Company at Park- 
ersburg. No band mills have operated at any time within the 
county. 

The Present Lumber Industry. 

Nearly all the remaining timber in reach from the river has 
recently been purchased by the Parkersburg Mill Company and 
the Little Kanawha Log and Tie Company. Both of these Com- 
panies are engaged in rafting out logs. The number of small 
saw mills in operation now is about fifteen. Most of these have 
a small capacity and do not run regularly. 

Present Forest Conditions. 

All the virgin timber now remaining in the county is a 
boundary of 5,980 acres lying in the southeastern section, being 
part of an 18,000 acre tract which extends into Gilmer and 
Braxton counties. The timber on this area consists of the species 
mentioned under the head of ''Original Forests" and is of most 
excellent quality. The cut-over forest land is confined to 2 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



127 



small areas on Leading creek having a combined area of 1,500 
acres. The rest of the county must be classed as farm land. 
The farmers' woodlots, of which there are about 80,000 acres, 
have a stand of 2,000 feet, or more, of such timbers as hickory, 
beech, maples, oaks and others. 

CLAY COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Clay county came into existence in 1856, being formed in 
that year from parts of Braxton and Nicholas counties. It oc- 
cupies a central position in the State and has an area of 348 
square miles or 222,720 acres. 

Topography. 

The western half of the county has an average elevation of 
a little more than 1,000 feet, the stream beds lying from lOO 
feet to 250 feet below the 1,000 foot contour line and the hills 
rising to a height of 1,500 feet in many places. Eastward from 
the Elk river, which, at its lowest point in the county is 637 
feet, the land rises gradually until it reaches an average eleva- 
tion of a little less than 1,500 feet along the Nicholas county 
line. Pilot Knob, in the western part of the county, has an ele- 
vation of 1,650 feet and the highest land, 1,850 feet, is found 
near the head of Rockcamp Branch of Buffalo creek in the 
northeastern corner of the county. This is a county of hills 
lying, as it does, some distance to the west of that portion of the 
State to which the term mountains can properly be applied. 

The Elk river, with Porters creek, Little and Big Sycamore 
creeks, Leatherwood creek and Buffalo creek, its principal tribu- 
taries from the east, and with Otter creek^ its principal tribu- 
tary from the west, drains all the county except an area of 
about 8 square miles lying along the northwestern boundary 
line. This irregular strip is drained by Walker and Stinson 
creeks of Little Kanawha river. Elk river winds in a south- 



128 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



westerly direction for 50 miles through the county, falling about 
100 feet in that distance. The stream is remarkable on account 
of its beauty and unusual state of preservation. Its water is 
kept constant and pure by the large coniferous and hardwood 
forests out from which it flows in Webster, Randolph and Po- 
cahontas counties. The hillsides facing the river and its tribu- 
taries in Clay county are, for the most part, too rocky and steep 
for cultivation and so have remained in forest to the present 
time. In many places the hills rise abruptly from the water's 
edge and, in no place, are the bottoms wide enough to encourage 
extensive farming. These conditions, as well as those that exist 
at the river's head, have contributed to the preservation of the 
stream. 



Former and Present Forest Conditions,, 

The former forest conditions in the county can be known by 
a study of the virgin areas yet remaining. A representative 
boundary of 15,000 acres was found to contain, approximately, 
100 million feet, board measure, of the following species of tim- 



ber : 

Oak, — principally White Oak^ — 40 per cent. 

Poplar 20 

Beech 10 

Hickory 5 " " 

Hemlock 5 

Maples 5 

Basswood 3 

Cucumber 2 '* 

White Ash 2 

Birch 2 

Chestnut 3 " 

Black Walnut \ 

Black Gum / 

Locust / 

Buckeye, and others ) 



The only parts of the county which have not produced good 
timber in great abundance are the thin and rocky southern ex- 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



129 



posures and the steep bluffs along the river and creeks. Hard- 
woods of various kinds predominate, the only softwood of much 
value being hemlock. This grows, principally, along the narrow 
bottoms and steep hillsides facing the larger streams. Pitch pine 
is found sparsely scattered over the county on dry ridges and 
high up on the river bluffs. A few red cedar trees grow along 
the river banks in the southern end of the county. Of other 
less valuable species, not mentioned here nor in the list above, 
there are the sycamore, white elm, river birch and the rare 
sweet gum, growing along the river, and smaller quantities of 
white walnut, black cherry, honey locust, slippery elm and 
others, scattered throughout the county. The timber on the 
virgin forest areas would estimate from 5,000 to 8,000 feet per 
acre, of the species listed above. That on the cut-over areas 
would estimate, on the average, about 1,000 feet per acre of such 
species as oak, beech, hickory, birch and buckeye. The farmer's 
woodlots, as a rule, are cut over but contain sufficient timber for 
domestic purposes. The approximate total stand of all kinds of 
timber in the county, including, the less valuable species of cut- 
over and woodlot areas, is 250 million feet. 



An investigation of conditions in the county has given us 
the following classification of forest and farm land: 



The principal boundary of virgin timber yet remaining is 
toward the head of Buffalo creek, being part of a tract which 
extends into Nicholas county. There are about 2,000 acres of 
virgin timber in the extreme southwestern part of the county, 
and 1 or 2 small tracts yet remaining in Otter district, west of 
the Elk river. The cut-over areas lie, principally, east and 
southeast of the Elk river and are greatly in excess of either the 
uncut forest or the farm lands in that section. On the west side, 
although not more than 25 per cent of the land has been cleared 



Virgin, Cut-over and Farm Areas. 



Virgin forest land 

Cut-over forest land. . . . 
Farm and woodlot land 



17,500 acres 
75,000 acres 
130,220 acres 



9 



130 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



for cultivation, the woodland is largely owned by the farmers. 
The most improved lands of the county are on Porters creek, 
Right Fork of Big Sycamore, and on the heads of O'Brien, Big 
Sandy and Big Otter creeks. 



The Early Lumber Industry. 



For the past 75 years, or more, the Elk river, which fur- 
nishes excellent rafting facilities, has carried many millions of 
feet of logs, lumber, cross-ties and staves from its adjacent for- 
est lands in Clay, Braxton and Webster counties. Active raft- 
ing in Clay county did not begin, however, until about the close 
of the Civil War. The Charleston, Clendennin and Sutton Rail- 
road (now Coal and Coke Railroad) reached the town of Clay 
in December, 1895, and was extended to Ivydale, 12 miles above, 
in 1900. During the 30 years which preceded the coming of the 
railroad the best timber had been stripped from all the land in 
the county fronting on the Elk river and the large creeks. In 
fact, the poplar had been cut for as many as 10 or 12 miles up 
the larger creeks and drifted out. All of the available walnut, 
also, went out from 1880 to 1885. The men who were in the 
rafting business, especially during the early years of that in- 
dustry, took only the best of the most valuable species. This 
left considerable good timber on the easily accessible areas to 
be taken, with the large quantities on the more remote virgin 
lands, by the saw mills which became numerous after the build- 
ing of the railroad. Before that time the few small circular 
mills which had found their way into the county and a water- 
power mill located at Serena on Big Sycamore creek, manu- 
factured lumber in considerable quantities. The largest amounts 
cut during this period were by Samuel Stephenson, 1885-1895, 
who operated on Big and Little Sycamore creeks and elsewhere ; 
the Chaney Lumber Company, 1890-1895, which cut over 10,000 
acres on the head of Blue creek ; John T. Moore, 1890-1898, who 
sawed at Clay Court House, on Camp creek. Big Laurel creek 
and at other points. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



131 



Later Lumber Operations. 

The first large mill to be located in the county was erected 
at Porter in 1895. This mill has cut the timber from about 
20,000 acres. E. L. Boggs has been operating a circular mill for 
the past 15 years in Otter district and has cut over about 5,000 
acres. M. Hardman and Company purchased 5,000 acres on 
Standing Rock run and other streams and removed the timber 
from the same during the years from 1895 to 1900. The logs 
cut by this Company were splashed from the small streams into 
Elk river where they were rafted and run to Charleston. W. S. 
Lewis operated a stave and lumber saw mill from 1896 on Big 
Laurel, Big Otter and head of Big Sandy creeks, cutting over 
about 15,000 acres of virgin timber. C. L. Ritter Lumber Com- 
pany began operating in 1899 and cut over about 26,000 acres 
in the 10 years following. The David S. Collins Company be- 
gan operating at Elkhurst in 1899 and cut the timber on 10,000 
acres. This company was succeeded by Elkhurst Planing Mill 
Company which completed the cutting on an additional 5,000 
acre tract in 1906. Tidewater Oil Company operated on Big 
Otter creek from 1900 to 1906, cutting the timber from 28,000 
acres. The Leatherwood Lumber Company began operating on 
Leatherwood creek in 1900 and cut the timber from a 1,300 acre 
tract of land owned by the Jacob Tome Institute and C. C. 
Lewis. Waggy and Gorrel have been cutting on Whetstone, 
Little Laurel and Spread Shoal creeks since 1900, taking the 
timber from about 5,000 acres. Mitchell and Good commenced 
operating about 1904 and have cut the timber from 3,000 acres 
of land drained by O'Brien creek. Shadle and Auchmuty be- 
gan at Yankee Dam in 1906 and are engaged in removing the 
timber from 2,000 acres on Elk river and Blue Knob creek. 
Crescent Lumber Company has been in operation since 1907 
and is engaged in cutting timber from a 10,000 acre tract. Of 
those wht5 have manufactured staves in the county we may men- 
tion D. G. Courtney, who operated stave mills on Buffalo creek 
from 1904 to 1908, recutting about 10,000 acres which had been 
cut over, originally, by The C. L. Ritter Lumber Company, and 
Tidewater Oil Company which, also, has manufactured large 
numbers of staves in the county. 



132 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



The cross-tie and stave industries have been carried on for 
the past 25 years and millions have been floated and shipped out. 

The only large industry, practically, which has existed in 
Clay county — outside of farming — has been the lumber industry 
in its various phases. 

By reference to the list of saw mills given in another part 
of this report it may be seen that there are 3 band mills and 16 
circular mills in operation now in Clay county. These are re- 
ducing the stand of timber at the rate of about 50 million feet 
annually. 

Forest fires, originating from hunters, ginseng diggers and 
the railroads, are of frequent occurrence throughout the dry 
months and burnt areas of considerable extent are becoming 
overgrown with sassafras, grape vines and other undesirable 
species of trees and shrubs. 

In the judgment of those best acquainted with conditions in 
the county not less than 50 per cent of the land is absolutely 
unfit for agricultural purposes. 

DODDRIDGE COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Doddridge county was formed in 1845 from parts of Har- 
rison, Tyler, Ritchie and Lewis. It is separated from the Ohio 
river by Tyler county on the west and adjoined on its other 
sides by Wetzel, Harrison, Lewis, Gilmer and Ritchie. Its area 
is 344 square miles or 220,160 acres. 

Topography. 

The county's surface is hilly in all parts, very rough in 
some sections and smoother in others. There is but little level 
bottom land along the larger streams within the area. 

About three fourths of the total area of the county is 
drained by Middle Island creek and its tributaries, the chief of 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



133 



which are McElroy creek, Arnold creek, Buckeye creek and 
Meathouse Fork. Portions of the southern part are drained by 
tributaries of Hughes river and of Leading creek. 

Original Timber Conditions. 

The timbers of the county were the oaks, hickories, walnuts, 
yellow poplar, white ash, and other hardwoods, all reaching a 
large size and attaining a high degree of excellence in the rich 
lands commonly found in all sections. There were small quan- 
tities of yellow and white pines, hemlock and red cedar. 

The Lumber Industry. 

The principal outlets for manufactured lumber have been 
the Baltimore and Ohio railroad since about 1857, and Middle 
Island creek and its larger tributaries. 

Water saw mills on Middle Island creek and its branches 
were common until within recent years, cutting vast quantities 
of fine yellow poplar and some other timbers. About 90 per 
cent of the yellow poplar was sawed and rafted to a chair fae- 
tary in Marietta, the rest going to Pittsburg. 

Beginning with about 1880 oak timber was cut and much 
of it sold in Marietta and in Beverly and Malta on the Musking- 
um river in Ohio. 

Much timber has been used in oil rigs thousands of which 
have been constructed in the county during the past 25 years. 

Large numbers of staves and ties have been floated down 
Middle Island creek to St. Marys, the ties being sold largely to 
the Pennsylvania railroad and the staves to manufacturers of 
oil barrels in Baltimore. 

The timber that has been taken "has gone down the water 
courses which liberally supply the county with transportation 
for timber, or has been hauled to the railroad over tram roads 
which are numerous and of considerable length, one of them 
being about twenty miles long, and over which vast quantities of 
timber have been hauled. In most places where the timber has 
been removed it has been taken, staves, ties, telegraph poles, 



134 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



hoop poles, and tan bark, all going along with, the saw timber 
and leaving the land cleared and ready for farming.''* 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

We have a record which says that from a fourth to a third 
of the timber of Doddridge had not been touched in 1893. At 
the present time practically all the woodland has been culled. 
The best timber is now found in West Union, Cove, Central and 
New Milton districts, where most of the land is held by a com- 
paratively few private owners. 

The woodlots belonging to farmers are very superior to 
those found in some sections, of the state, there being a good 
second growth and in some cases a virgin stand of timber. It is 
probable that 65 per cent of the area has been cleared for cul- 
tivation and grazing purposes. 

FAYETTE COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Fayette county, formed in 1831 from parts of Kanawha, 
Greenbrier, Nicholas and Logan, is situated about half way be- 
tween the center and the southern border of the State. Its area 
is 775 square miles or 496,000 acres. 

Topography. 

< 

This county, although it lies near the eastern side of the 
division of the Appalachian Province, having uniform and al- 
most horizontal geologic strata, is, nevertheless, rendered some- 
what irregular by erosion. Impressions of visitors to the county, 
who attempt to view it from the rough and narrow gorge of the 
New river alone, are apt to be far from correct. In order to gain 
a full comprehension of the surface formation it is necessary to 
ascend to higher ground. Here, it will be observed, the surface 



♦ "The Mountain State" — Summers, p. 138. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



135 



stretches away with more or less regularity to the north and 
south of the meandering channel of the New river. In places, as 
about the head waters of Wolf creek and Laurel creek, the work 
of erosion has progressed but slowly and the rolling surface is 
strongly suggestive of the plateau which once existed there on a 
somewhat higher plane. Everywhere throughout the upland re- 
gion numerous streams have cut their channels to varying depths 
The summits of thousands of irregular hills thus formed lie more 
or less uniformly at an elevation of about 2,000 feet and here 
and there stand mountain peaks which rise in bold relief to a 
height of more than 1,000 feet above the surrounding country. 
Among the highest of these in the eastern part of the county are 
Ford Knob, Bee Lick Knob, and Big Sewell Knob, all reaching 
an elevation of over 3,000 feet, the latter ascending to 3,500 feet. 
The lowest land, 618 to 675 feet aboA^e tide, lies along the Gauley 
and the Great Kanawha rivers. The fertile bottoms and loamy 
coves of this lower section contrast sharply with the heavy clays 
found above the stratum of Sewell sandstone which outcrops at 
the "Hawk's Nest" and at other places along the New river. 

The whole area of the county lies within the drainage basin 
of the Great Kanawha river which is formed by the confluence 
of the New and the Gauley. Southward from the Great Kanawha 
and the New rivers, which flow in a northwesterly direction 
through the center of the county, the principal streams are 
Powellton and Loop creeks, tributaries of the Great Kanawha 
river and Laurel, "Wolf, Arbuckle and Dunloup creeks, tribu- 
taries of the New river. The northern half of the county is 
drained by Smithers creek, a tributary of the Great Kanawha; 
by the lower waters of Gauley and Meadovr rivers, which are fol- 
lowed for nearh/ 50 miles by the northern boundary line ; and by 
numerous small streams that flow southward into the New and 
northward into the Gauley and Meadow rivers. 

The New River Gorge. 

New river, which has its source on the high summits of the 
Blue Ridge in North Carolina, flows through Fayette county for 
a distance of about 50 miles. It enters the county from the 
south through a deep narrow channel at about 1,200 feet eleva- 



136 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



tion. From this point, to where it joins the waters of the Gau- 
ley and flows on as the Great Kanawha, the stream is beset by 
falls and almost continuous rapids descending to an elevation of 
650 feet at Gauley Bridge. 

The wild beauty of this canon, known as the New Eiver 
Gorge, with the clear water of the river flowing swiftly among 
scattered boulders at the base of its precipitous and rocky walls, 
has appealed to thousands of people, and has afforded ample 
justification for the efforts at description made by many promi- 
nent writers. 

' ' Who having once seen, will ever forget the ' ' Hawk 's 
Nest" in Fayette County— often called "Marshall's Pillar"— a 
frowning precipice said to be over twelve hundred feet high and 
overhanging New river. Imagine yourself standing upon its 
projecting point, a perpendicular rock, 1,292 feet from the val- 
ley below. Before you, as you look to the east, the New river is 
seen for the distance, perhaps, of several miles, winding or 
rather rushing, tumbling and foaming through the towering 
cliffs which environ it. Sweeping by this lofty promontory on 
which you stand, it suddenly turns its course in a southwest di- 
rection, and presents in the whole distance several beautiful cas- 
cades which send to the listening ear the far off but lulling sound 
of their waters. The cliffs, themselves, judging by the horizontal 
and corresponding strata of rock on either side, seem to have 
been originally united but torn asunder by some strong convul- 
sion of nature, in order to give free passage to the narrow but 
angry torrent which rolls majestically at their feet. The au- 
tumnal season gives to this imposing picture a magnificent and 
gorgeous drapery of which no man whose vision has been con- 
fined to lowland scenery can have the slightest conception. " * 

"The cliffs of New river present for a distance of 20 miles 
a succession of sublime scenery rivaled in our country only by 
that of Niagara, between the falls and Queenstown." ** 

The immense water power of the river is adequate to supply 
light, heat and facilities for travel to the present and the future 
population of the Great Kanawha Valley. Within a few years, 

*Lewis's Hand Book of West Virginia, 1904, p. 13. 

**Martm's Qazetteer of Virginia and The District of Colum- 
tiia, 1835. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



137 



doubtless, these waters as yet but little used, will appeal as 
strongly to the commercial mind as they have in the past to the 
esthetic. 

The Original Forests. 

The topography of Fayette is such as to promote the growth 
of valuable forests. Originally the low and fertile lan(!s of the 
Gauley and of that portion of the Great Kanav/ha within the 
county, were characterized by the abundance of yellow poplar, 
black and white walnut, white and red oaks, sweet buckeye, bass- 
wood, cucumber and white ash, as well as the less valuable svreet 
gum, sycamore, river birch, honey locust, and others. On the 
clays of the higher areas such species as maples, white oak and 
beech predominated, with fringes of hemlock along the water 
courses and with scattered clumps of pitch pine and scrub pine 
growing on dry ridges and along the sandstone outcrops. 

The Lumber Industry. 

Some of the best yellow poplar, black Avalnut and other tim- 
ber growing along the Great Kanawha and the Gauley rivers 
was cut and rafted out about 50 years ago. The New river is too 
rapid for even the successful drifting of single logs and, as there 
was no other means of transportation then, the bulk of the tim- 
ber in the interior remained until a later date. A large number 
of staves were cut in a wasteful manner on Laurel creek about 
35 years ago and several small steam and water mills were in 
operation before that time. Two sash saw mills, at least, existed 
in the county as early as 1835. Timber cutting on a largo scale 
for commercial use did not begin until about 1885. The industry 
has continued without interruption and at an increasing rate 
until the present day. The g'reater part of the timber so far 
taken has been sawed by portable stave and lumber mills located 
throughout the county. These have delivered their lumber over 
branch railroads, wooden tram roads and, by means of wagons, 
over country roads, to the various stations along the Chesapeake 
and Ohio railroad and, more recently, to Belva, Gauley Bridge 
and other stations on the Gauley branch. 

Large requisitions have been made upon the timber by the 



138 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



150, or more, coal companies operating within the county. The 
quantity of timber used in mining, through a long series of 
years, for posts, caps, headers, ties, tipples and buildings, is 
enormous. In the judgment of those men best acquainted with 
the present situation the time is near when the scarcity of both 
timber and water will become alarming if, indeed, it is not al- 
ready so. A number of coal companies, however, are taking steps 
to preserve the remnant of less valuable but rapid-growing tim- 
bers still standing in the extensive cut-over forests. An enter- 
prising company owning property on Loop creek has built an 
immense dam near the head of that stream and is catching the 
run-off water of early freshets for their use in mining 
operations. 

The present lumber industry embraces the operations of 2 
large band mills located within the county and a third located 
near the eastern line in Greenbrier county, together with the 
smaller operations of about 25 portable mills. These have a com- 
bined capacity of not less than 250,000 feet per day. The large 
mills are engaged in the removal of timber from the remaining 
virgin tracts and the small mills are cutting wherever a few 
thousand feet of timber can be brought together. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

There is, perhaps, 10 per cent of cleared land in the county. 
The remaining 446,000 acres are in forest. Only about 53,000 
acres, however, are yet in virgin growth. The balance is cut-over 
and w^oodlot forest owned by coal and lumber companies and by 
farmers. It is estimated that there is an average stand of about 
2,500 feet per acre of the less valuable kinds of timber, such as 
black gum, beech, sugar and red maple, birch, etc. yet remaining 
on the cut-over and woodlot land, but that at least 80 per cent of 
the value of the original forest has been removed. Areas aggre- 
gating 200,000 acres, or more, of cut-over lands lie chiefly in the 
southern and western parts of the county and are largely owned 
by coal companies. The principal virgin forest areas lie in the 
region of Big Sewell mountain, in the eastern part of the county, 
and, farther north, along the Meadow river. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 

GILMER COUNTY. 



139 



Location and Area. 

Gilmer county, formed in 1845 from parts of Lewis and 
Kanawha, lies in the third tier of counties east of the Ohio river 
and is a little northwest of the center of the State. Its area is 
367 square miles or 234,880 acres. 

Topography. 

The surface of the county is hilly. In most parts the slopes 
are gentle and the crests of ridges and the hilltops are well 
rounded. At various places, however, the slopes are steep and 
rough giving the hills an uneven and angular appearance. 

The lowest land is along the valley of the Little Kanawha 
river which falls about 50 feet in its course through the county, 
entering on the east at 750 feet and leaving on the west at 700 
feet. The hills rise to a height of 1,000 feet, and over, through- 
out the county and in many places reach an altitude of 1,200 to 
1,300 feet. Locust knob, in the eastern part near the Braxton 
county line, rises to 1,600 feet. 

The Little Kanawha river traverses the county from east to 
west for a distance of 25 miles. All the other streams are its tri- 
butaries. Of these the larger ones are Steer creek, Grass ru_n. 
Cedar creek and Duck creek, flowing in from the south, and Tan- 
ner creek. Sinking creek, Leading creek, Stewart creek and Sand 
Fork, flowing in from the north. 

The Original Forest Conditions. 

The countj^ once had a superior hardwood forest. "White 
oak, yellow poplar and black walnut were the most valual^le of 
the predominant hardwoods. The white oak, especially, has been 
much sought after on account of its freedom from defects and its 
unusual durability. Chestnut, hickory, beech, basswood, white 
ash, sugar and red maple, red, black, chestnut and scarlet oak, 
locust and sycamore were other common hardwoods. White pine 



140 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



is said to have grown on Tanner and Lynch creeks in the north- 
ern part of the county. Hemlock and pitch pine grew in small 
quantities throughout the county, the former along streams and 
in cool ravines, the latter on dry ridges. Red cedar grew in 
abundance on Cedar creek and in smaller quantities in other 
parts of the county. 

The Lumber Industry. 

Almost all the timber so far taken out of the county has 
been floated and rafted down the Little Kanawha river. Some 
has been sawed in recent years by portable mills and shipped on 
the Coal & Coke Railroad which touches the southeastern side 
of the county. 

The earliest settlements were made near the towns of Glen- 
ville and Stumptown. All the lumber used about the premises 
of the early settlers was sawed by hand or on sash saw mills, 
about 7 of which were located at various points along the Little 
Kanawha and its tributaries. The first manufactured lumber 
shipped from the county was sawed on a sash saw mill near the 
mouth of Cedar creek. None of the primitive vrater saw mills 
have been running for 25 years. 

Rafting was begun on the river as early as 1840. This in- 
dustri^ was carried on, at first, by owners of timberland lying 
near the river and, to some extent, by other residents who cut 
timber without regard to the ownership — a common practice 60 
years ago in many parts of West Virginia. ]^.Iost of the rafts 
were disposed of at Parkersburg and Cincinnati. The first raft 
of logs taken out of the county was sold at Parkersburg for 25 
dollars and 25 dollars' worth of goods. This raft was made up 
of choice yellow poplar and would now bring not less than 
$750.00. Yellow poplar was the principal timber rafted before 
1860. Since then several companies have bought large quantities 
of the heavier timbers, such as oak, beech and maple, and rafted 
them out vnth the poplar, cucumber and basswood. Some of the 
prominent operators along the river in more recent years were 
"Wyant and Brannon, S. F. Whiting, Withers and Lorentz, and 
Withers and Vandevender. The chief fioating done on the river 
at present is by the Little Kanawha Log and Tie Company, 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



141 



which is handling from 600 to 800 rafts a year of saw timber and 
about 100,000 cross-ties. W. J. Holden and Lowther and Flem- 
ing, of Parkersburg have also been purchasing and rafting cross- 
ties from the county for several years. 

Portable saw mills were brought to the county about 1865. 
Many of these have continued to run to the present time. They 
have sawed large numbers of cross-ties and considerable export 
oak and bill stock within reach of the railroad in the eastern end 
of the county. No band mills have operated in the county. Two 
of the prominent portable saw mill operators were John R. Bart- 
lett and Benj. Allen. 

The stave industry has not been extensive. A considerable 
quantity of split staves, however, has been hauled to the railroad 
and shipped, and Withers and Vandevender have been engaged 
for some time in sawing staves at several points in the county. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

There are about 13,000 acres of excellent virgin forest ly- 
ing in the southwestern part of the county on the waters of the 
Eight Fork of Steer creek. All of this, except about 1,000 acres, 
is in the hands of operators who will probably manufacture the 
white oak found there into staves within the next few years. A 
tract of 1,700 acres in the northern end of the county comes 
under the head of cut-over forest. All the rest of the woodland 
is owned in small scattered boundaries by farmers. As a rule 
the farmers' woodlots have but little merchantable timber. 

GRANT COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Grant county, formed in 1866 from a part of Hardy, lies 
south of Garrett county, Maryland, and of Mineral county; 
north of Pendleton, east of Tucker and west of Hardy. Its area 
is 483 square miles or 309,120 acres. 



142 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Topography. 

The county is divided naturally in respect to its surface 
configuration, into two distinct and radically diverse areas. Ap- 
proximately one fourth of the total area, lying northwest of the 
main Alleghany Front, is in the form of a high, rolling plateau. 
The elevation of this division is comparatively uniform, ranging 
from about 2,700 feet to 3,000 feet, except that the channels of 
the streams sink to a depth of 300 or 400 feet below the sur- 
rounding country as they approach the North Branch of the Po- 
tomac. Southeast of the Alleghany mountain crest the surface 
is broken into a number of elevated, parallel ridges similar in 
form and trend to those found in the adjacent counties of Pen- 
dleton, Hardy and Hampshire. The first and most important of 
the mountain ridges southeast of the Alleghany Front is New 
Creek mountain, extending through the length of the county into 
Mineral on the north and into Pendleton on the south, where it 
is known as North Fork mountain. New Creek mountain is 
abruptly broken from crest to base by at least 4 narrow gaps. 
The first of these on the south permits the passage of the North 
Fork of the Potomac; through the second and third, known re- 
spectively as Kline and Cosner Gaps, flow small tributaries of 
Lunice creek ; and through Greenland Gap flows the North Fork 
of Patterson creek. East of this mountain is the broad, hilly 
basin of Lunice and Patterson creeks ; and east of this rises Pat-- 
terson Creek mountain, the natural dividing line of Grant and 
Hardy counties. 

Westward from the Alleghany crest the drainage is through 
Buffalo creek. Difficult creek, Abra^m creek, and other smaller 
streams, and through the long, slow-flowing Stony river, to the 
North Branch of the Potomac which separates this county and 
IVTaryland from the Fairfax Stone to the Mineral line. The prin- 
cipal stream of the eastern part of the county is the South 
Branch which enters on the south from Pendleton and passes out 
between the high walls of Petersburg Gap. The chief tributaries 
here of the Soiith Branch are the North Fork, e mptying a few 
miles above Petersburg, the county seat; and ^hll creek and 
Lunice creek, emptying just above the Hardy county line. Pat- 
terson creek, atributary of North Branch, drains all the north- 
eastern part of the county. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 14.j 

Original Timber Conditions. 

On the Allegliany mountains red spruce and hemlock were 
the predominant timbers, originally, with a scattered growth of 
sugar maples, beeches, and other hardwoods. East of this, be- 
ginning abruptly along the upper margin of the Alleghany es- 
carpment, the growth was of many varieties of hardwoods, 
liberally intermixed with the pines that were found throughout 
that region. White oak and chestnut oak were the most valuable 
hardwoods, and yellow pine was the leading softwood of the east- 
ern part of the county. 

The Lumber Industry. 

The lumber operations in Grant county have been confined, 
chiefly, to the mountainous, northwestern section which was 
made accessible by the building of the Western Maryland rail- 
road along the North Branch in 1887. Since that time the bulk 
of the timber has been taken from the top of the Alleghanies to 
supply the large mills located at Wallman, Maryland, and at 
Bayard, Wilson, Dobbin, Henry, Wilsonia and Fairfax, West 
Virginia, and to supply smaller mills scattered here and there in 
the region lying back from the railroad. All the large band mills 
in the county have ceased to run except the plant at Dobbin 
owned by the Parsons Pulp and Lumber Company. 

Not much has been done in the lumber industry east of the 
Alleghanies. The sawing by small water and steam mills, through 
all the years of settlement and up to the present time, has been 
for the purpose, principally, of supplying lumber for local uses. 
An exception to this was the floating and hauling out of walnut, 
poplar and pine logs about 20 years ago, and the cutting for 
many years of chestnut oak timber for tan bark. Much bark has 
been used by the local tanneries at Moorefield and New Creek 
and at Petersburg before the burning of the plant at that place 
in 1904. The loss of timber in the bark industry has been con- 
siderable, probably one half of the chestnut oak cut being 
wasted. The chestnut oak timber in the Maysville, Greenland and 
Williamsport sections has been largely utilized for lumber and 



144 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



ties after the bark was removed. Xorthward from the three 
towns mentioned above bark, ties, and lumber, to considerable 
extent, is being removed and hauled on wagons to Keyser. 

Present Conditions. 

Roughly speaking, there are 57,000 acres of virgin timber- 
land and 63,000 acres of cut-over timberland now remaining in 
Grant county. In addition to these areas, which are held in 
large boundaries, the farmers own Avoodlots of various sizes ag- 
gregating not less than 100,000 acres. The main boundaries of 
virgin timberland lie toward the eastern and southern parts of 
the county along the Alleghanies and New Creek mountain south 
of Maysville, and on the mountains which separate the several 
tributaries of the South Branch, Smaller areas in other sections 
are to be found the chief of which lies on the western face of 
Patterson Creek mountain. 

In answer to an inquiry concerning the present forest con- 
ditions in the county Mr. E. L. Judy of Petersburg, made the 
following statements : 

' ' There is but little of the original growth of timber remain- 
ing on top of the mountain, nearly all having been cut over to 
some extent. The virgin part of the mountain is owned, largely, 
by operators who are now engaged in removing the timber. A 
few farmers, living north of a line running from Bayard to 
Pigeon Roost, have small, virgin woodlots within their farms. 
South of this line there are but few farms. ]\Iuch of the cut-over 
forest there has timber worth marketing today and a few mills 
are still in operation. The principal timbers now on the mountain 
are the hardwoods, such as sugar maple, beech, birch, and the 
poorer grades of white oak, red oak, and chestnut oak. These 
were left as unprofitable timber when the spruces and hemlocks 
were taken from the area some years ago. 

"The southern half of the eastern slope of the Alleghanies 
contains an almost virgin growth of hardwoods, mostly chestnut 
oaks, as yet but little cut; while the northern half, from the- 
MaysviUe section, is largely the same kind of timber but culled 
to some extent in later years. 

''That part of the county east of Martin and Maysville to 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



145 



the foothills of Patterson Creek moimtain, and extending as far 
south as Petersburg is largely in farms. Patterson creek moun- 
tain, from the Mineral county line to Petersburg Gap is very 
well timbered in hardwood but with a number of farm 
openings. 

' ' The Cave Mountain and Smoke Hole sections have a virgin 
growth of hardwoods, principally the oaks, with a little pine, 
poplar and walnut. The Middle mountain, particularly the 
southern end, has a fairly good stand of chestnut oak and other 
timbers. The South Fork mountain has considerable virgin 
oak. The North and South Mill creek sections are largely im- 
proved as is also the South Branch valley from the mouth of 
North Fork toward Moorefield." 

The pine forests that were visited in this county by the 
bark beetles in 1891 and 1892 have not recovered from the in- 
juries received in those years and in subsequent years by de- 
structive forest fires that raged in the dead timber. The young 
pines that are growing up in some sections are either the com- 
paratively worthless scrub pines or inferior trees of the more 
valuable species. Conditions in limited areas, however, give 
promise of a reasonably good stand of softwoods. 

Since the recent extension of a branch of the Baltimore and 
Ohio railroad to Petersburg from Romney, in Hampshire 
county, there has been an active interest manifested in fruit rais- 
ing ; and doubtless many acres of the hitherto uncleared hill land 
will be set in apple and peach trees within the next decade. An 
active luiiiber industr}^ also, is likely to follow the building of 
the railroad. 

GREENBRIER COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Greenbrier, next to the largest county in West Virginia, was 
formed in 1777 from parts of i\Iontgomery and Botetourt coun- 
ties. It is situated in the southeastern part of the State, border- 
ing on the Virginia line, and has an area of 1,051 square miles or 
672,640 acres. 
10 



146 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Topography. 

The eastern line of tlie county follows the main range of the 
Alleghany mountains and all the area lying east of the Green- 
brier river is exceedingly mountainous except in the valleys of 
the creeks. Westward from the Greenbrier there is a rich plateau 
region lying high above the channel of ihe river and covering 
much of the central, southern and western parts of the county 
south of a west line from Falling Springs. The eastern part of 
the plateau is undulating but not hilly, and the southern and 
western parts are traversed by low ridges and furrowed by 
numerous streams. North of the plateau region the surface is 
broken into hundreds of high mountain peaks and ridges, many 
of which reach an elevation of over 4,000 feet. 

The Greenbrier river, which flows south at the western base 
of the Alleghany mountains, is the principal stream of the county. 
Its largest eastern tributaries are Howards creek and Anthonys 
creek. The streams that flow into it from the west are very small 
and far between except in the extreme southern end where 
Muddy creek drains an area west of Muddy Creek mountains. 
Several creeks in the center of the limestone plateau disappear 
into subterranean caverns. The western and northern mountain- 
ous sections are drained by Meadow and Cherry rivers, both 
tributaries of the Gauley. 

% , Original Forest Conditions. 

The county may be divided into 3 districts according to the 
kinds of timber which each produced in greatest abundance. 
First, in the mountainous section on the east of Greenbrier river, 
white pine was the most valuable species. It grew in this county . 
most abundantly on Anthonys creek and its tributaries. The fol- 
lowing description of the white pine growing in Greenbrier and 
Pocahontas is given by Mr. Cecil Clay, former president of the 
St. Lawrence Boom and Manufacturing Company of Ronceverte : 

* ' There are several hundred million feet of good white pine 
lumber in this district. The white pine growing as it does here 
at an altitude of 2000 to 2500 feet, has a climate about like that 
of lower Pennsylvania and has much likeness to Susquehanna 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



147 



pine. Where the white pine grows it takes the ground to itself, 
and but little of other timber is found with it. It grows in several 
localities through the valley (Greenbrier). On Deer and Sitling- 
tons creeks are 100,000,000 feet ; on Knapps creek and branches 
another 100,000,000 feet; and Spice, Laurel, and Davys runs, 
with Anthonys creek, and some outlying patches, would yield a 
third 100,000,000 feet. This pine timber is perhaps a little 
heavier than the Pennsylvania pine, but is soft and smooth to 
work. It is generally a sound, red-knot timber, with remarkably 
thin sapwood, often averaging not over half an inch in a lot of 
1000 logs. As much as 40,000 feet can sometimes be cut on an 
acre." * 

The timber of the limestone plateau, before referred to, was 
distinct from that on the east and north. Mr. W. A. Mastin, of 
"White Sulphur Springs, describes the limestone area and its 
timber as follows : 

''The eastern boundary line of the principal limestone area 
is, of course, the Greenbrier river as far down as Caldwell. Here 
the river turns more to the west passing out through the lime- 
stone and leaving an area of considerable size on its east and 
south. The western boundary line of the area begins at Alder- 
son, passes up Muddy creek, by the way of Blue Sulphur 
Springs crosses the divide to Sinking creek and continues on in 
that direction toward Trout Valley. 

' ' The limestone section produced excellent timber, free from 
insect injuries and defects of every kind. It was nearly all hard- 
wood, such as white oak, red oak, poplar, black walnut, hickory, 
and some wild cherry. ' ' 

The third district lies in the mountainous sections of the 
north and northwest, and is characterized by such species as 
spruce, hemlock, yellow birch, and others that thrive at high al- 
titudes. Even here, however, hardwoods predominate below an 
altitude of 3,000 feet and sometimes higher up than this. Fol- 
lowing is a list of trees and the number of each kind growdng on 
1,000 acres on the head of Cherry river in this county. Locusts, 



♦"Resources of West Virginia" — Maury and Fontaine. 



148 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



hickories and black walnuts with a diameter over 10 inches, and 
all others over 18 inches were counted.* 



mite oak 132 

Chestnut oak 889 

Hickory 86 

Chestnut 1513 

"White maple 3258 

Sugar maple 7291 

Locust 4 

Beech 1965 

Birches 1120 

Gum 104 

Cherry 349 

White walnut 1 

Poplar 529 

Linden 1014 

Cucumber 937 

Ash 576 

Hemlock 2303 

Yew pine (Spruce) 34 



Total 22264 



The Lumber Industry. 

I\Iost of the limestone area, where the best hardwoods grew, 
was settled and the timber destroyed in the process of clearing 
the land for cultivation before it could be sold for profit and in 
a dsLj when timber was considered inexhaustible and of little 
value. A little of it was utilized for building and fencing pur- 
poses and for fuel. 

Small water-power saw mills were located here and there in 
an early day. After these came the portable steam saw mills. 
The latter were not common until the Chesapeake and Ohio Rail- 
road was extended westward from White Sulphur Springs about 
the year 1873. After that time many of these mills were located 
near the line. The principal shipping points for lumber were 

♦"Resources of West Virginia" — Maury and Fontaine. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



149 



White Sulphur Springs, Caldwell and Ronccverte. When the 
Chesapeake and Ohio railroad was built up the Greenbrier 
river a similar industry was begun all along tlie line. When 
available sites for the small mills became scarce near the rail- 
road many of them moved back into the interior where they are 
still engaged in sawing for small owners and hauling the lum- 
ber on wagons to the railroad. 

The first large band saw operation in the coupty was that 
of the St. Lawrence Boom and Manufacturing Company. This 
company came to Ronceverte in 1882 and erected a circular 
mill. In 1884 this w^as replaced by a double band mill which 
continued to operate until 1910. During 24 years the mill cut 
433,000,000 feet of white pine from Greenbrier and Pocahontas 
counties. After 1902 the white pine supply began to fall oft 
and considerable hemlock and hardw^ood timber was sawed. This 
company erected a single band mill at Shryock on Anthonys 
creek in 1909 which it is now operating. 

Some of the large operators that have completed their work 
were the Henderson Lumber Company, with a band mill at the 
mouth of Anthonys creek; the Clear Creek Lumber Company, 
and the Kittanning Lumber Company, both with large circular 
mills in the Greenbrier section. 

Among the present extensive operators, some of which have 
cut over vast forest areas, may be mentioned the Cherry River 
Boom and Lumber Company, located at Richwood in Nicholas 
county; the Fenwick Lumber Com^pany at Fenwick, Nicholas 
county, and the Neola Lumber Company at Neola, all band mill 
operations, Donaldson Lumber Company and Kendall-Deter 
Lumber Company are operating large circular mills near An- 
thony on the Greenbrier river. 

Much of the fine walnut timber was destroyed. That which 
remained until after the coming of the railroads was eagerly 
sought after and even the stumps throughout the Greenbrier 
valley were bought and removed. 

Chestnut oak timber once grew in abundance in the county 
and furnished material for an active tan-bark industry which 
has lasted through a long period of years. 



150 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Present Forest Conditions. 

The forests that remain in the county lie in an irregular 
semicircle on the north, east and west of the rich and. highly 
improved limestone lands of the central plateau region. There 
are now approximately 140,000 acres of virgin forest and 105,000 
acres of cut-over forest. The largest areas of both virgin and 
cut-over forests lie on the waters of Meadow and Cherry rivers 
in the north and northwest and on the western slope of the Al- 
leghany mountains east of the Greenbrier river. 

Most of the land now in forest is unfit for agriculture and 
will be vastly more profitable to the citizens of this and other 
counties if left in its present condition, or preferably in a con- 
dition that will result from a careful protection of the forests 
against fires and wasteful methods of lumbering. 

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Hampshire, the oldest county in West Virginia, was formed 
in 1754. At that time the outlines of the area were not definitely 
defined but included most of the South Branch valley and an 
indefinite boundary to the west. The area was reduced in 1785 
by the formation of Hardy county, which then included Grant 
and a portion of Pendleton ; in 1820 when Morgan county was 
formed ; and again in 1866 by the formation of Mineral county. 
Hampshire touches Morgan county on the northeast, Maryland 
on the north, Virginia on the east and is bounded on the south 
west and north by Hardy and Mineral counties. Its area is 662 
square miles or 423,680 acres. 

Topography. 

The principal mountains of the county are Mill Creek moun- 
tain, South Branch mountain, Short mountain, Sandy Kidge, 
Great North mountain and Cacapon mountain. The main trend 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



151 



of the mountains is northeast and southwest; but in many 
places streams of water have so disfigured them that they 
are no longer in the form of continuous ridges but are broken 
into a succession of oblong and irregular elevations. The topo- 
graphy of Hampshire has been described thus: 

"While the county is hilly or mountainous, it yet has no 
mountains equalling in height and ruggedness those of some of 
the counties west, particularly Grant, Pendleton, Pocahontas, 
Greenbrier, Webster and Randolph. The most elevated point in 
Hampshire county is 3,100 feet above the sea. The lowest point 
is the bed of Capon river where it flows across the line from 
Hampshire into Morgan 510 feet. The county, therefore, has a 
vertical range of 2,590 feet. Every point in Hampshire lies 
somewhere between these two extremes. The average elevation 
is probably not far from 1,200 feet. It is a prominent feature of 
the mountains of this county that they have few peaks which rise 
sharply above the surrounding ranges. This is because the 
mountains of Hampshire county are very old, geologically con- 
sidered, and peaks which may once have existed have been worn 
down till they now rise little above the ridges, and appear as 
broad, rounded domes."* 

About 2 miles east of Greenspring Station the North and 
South Branches flow together and form the Potomac river, 
which flows for several miles along the northern border of the 
county. The principal streams flowing northeast through the 
county, and named from west to east, are the South Branch, the 
Little Cacapon, the North river and the Cacapon river. 

The Original Timber Conditions. 

Despite the fact that the county was settled at an early 
date, most of the timber cut before the building of the branch 
railroad from the main line to Romney in 1884, was destroyed 
by fire or used for domestic purposes. For this reason much 
practically virgin timber was standing 30 years ago, and several 
of the less valuable virgin tracts have been preserved to the 
present day. The men who remember the undisturbed forests 
of the valleys and fertile hills speak of them as ''excellent tim- 



*"History of Hampshire County" — Maxwell and Swisher. 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



berlands, containing large numbers of such trees as the oaks, 
walnuts, elms, hickories, maples and pines". The principal 
softwood was yellow pine, though this did not grow in pure 
stands, generally. White pine was often found but was said to 
be of an inferior quality. Scrub pine was abundant, especially 
in poor, gravelly soils; and the other two indigenous pine?, as 
well as red cedar and hemlock, grew in small numbers locally. 

Early Settlements and the Lumber Industry. 

George Washington speaks of ''a great company of people, 
men, women, and children who followed us through the woods" 
when he was sui'veying in the South Branch valley in the spring 
of 1748. The "people" referred to— who all spoke ''dutch"— 
were Germans Vv^ho had settled this region at that early date in 
considerable numbers. That is, settlement began in this county 
over 150 years ago. For the first 100 years, at least, there was 
little timber cut for commercial purposes; but vast quantities 
were necessarily destroyed by fire during this period and much 
was used for various purposes about the pioneers' homes. Mr. 
I. H. G. Pancake, of Romney, states that in an early day there 
was no general shipment of lumber out of the county and that 
most of the lumber for home use was sawed on the old-time 
water saw mills, several of which vv^ere located on the streams at 
various points. In 1835 there were 9 of these water saw mills, 1 
cabinet maker's shop, 2 wagon maker's shops, 2 chair-making 
establishments and 3 tan yards in Hampsliire county. The 
principal lumber sawed on the water mills was vellow pine and 
a little yellow poplar and other of the softer woods. 

A limited shipment of lumber from the northern end of the * 
county followed the building of the main Baltimore and Ohio 
railroad, and before that time there had been some floating done 
on the South Branch and the Great Cacapon. 

From the year 1875 to 1885 considerable lumber was sawed 
in the vicinity of Romney and traded to merchants for goo :1s. 
Good yelloAv pine was valued at $9.00 a thousand feet. A part 
of this lumber vvas disposed of to lumber dealers and the rest 
stacked near the stores and sold in small or large quantities to 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



153 



the local citizens as they needed it. The merchants also took 
large numbers of white oak shingles "for trade". 

An active lumber industry, in which portable saw mills 
figured prominently, began with the building of the branch 
railroad before mentioned. Lumber from the portable mills 
was hauled in wagons and shipped from Romney and other sta- 
tions on the -branch or main line railroads. For the last 25 
years there has been a constant drain upon the remaining for- 
ests, and the extensive virgin areas have been reduced to com- 
paratively small and isolated tracts. There are a fevv^ active 
lumber operations at present in the county. Most of the ov/ners 
of saw mills, however, run their mills irregularly through the 
winter and in the fall use their engines for threshing grain. 

Two firms located at Romney still ship large numbers of 
cross-ties, but the trade in lumber has fallen off during recent 
years. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

The virgin forests of the county, which aggregate about 
12,000 acres, lie principally toward the southern end and are 
situated upon the mountains. A virgin forest of considerable 
extent still remains upon the eastern face of South Branch 
mountain a few miles south of Romney ; and there are other 
large tracts on the northern end of Short mountain, and on 
Great North mountain near the Virginia line. The cut-over 
forests, aggregating about 15,000 acres, are in Bloomery dis- 
trict in the northern end, on the western face of South Branch 
mountain, and in smaller areas throughout the mountainous 
parts of the county. 

Probably one-third of all the land is cleared. Romney dis- 
trict is largely improved; Mill Creek, Springneld, and Gore 
districts have scattered improvements ; Sherman and Capon dis- 
tricts have numerous improvements at the bases of the moun- 
tains, the farmers' woodlots often extending from their cleared 
lands to the summits of the wooded mountains. Blooniery dis- 
trict in the northeastern end, is roughest and least improved. 
There are, perhaps, 50,000 acres of non-agricultural land in the 
coujity covered with a growth of scrubby timber. It should be 



154 



COXDITIOXS BY COUNTIES. 



stated, however, that much land considered almost worthless in 
the past has been found in recent years to be well adapted to 
fruit-growing. 

The trees most commonly found on the dry, wooded hills 
at present are scrub pine, chestnut oak, scarlet oak, scrub oak, 
and black oak. With these grow scattered locusts, pitch pines, 
table mountain pines and a few chestnuts. The lower lands now 
produce such timbers as white ash, black and white walnuts, 
white and slippery elms, cucumber, basswood, sugar maple, and 
many others. 

HANCOCK COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Hancock, the most northern and the smallest county of the 
State, was di^dded from Brooke in 1848. It-s area is 86 square 
miles or 55,040 acres. 

Topography. 

The surface of the county is hilly but smooth and well 
adapted to farming and fruit growing. The least elevation is 
666 feet at the Ohio river and the greatest is 1.337 feet at the 
summit of a high hill near Chester in the northern end. 

The Ohio river and its tributaries, of which the chief are 
Kings creek and Tomlinson creek, furnish ample drainage for 
the county. 

Early Timber Conditions. 

The excellent hardwoods of this county were white oak, 
black walnut, locust, hickory, cherry and sugar maple. There 
were good stands, also, in the original forests of beech, white elm, 
sycamore, basswood, and many others usually associated with 
these species. There were scattered trees of white pine and 
hemlock and a few red cedars. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



155 



The Lumber Industry. 

A limited number of water power saw mills once operated 
in the county but the quantity of lumber manufactured on 
these was not large. The timber not cut by farmers in an early 
day, and not destroyed in the tan yard and hoop pole industries, 
has largely been sawed by small portable saw mills. These be- 
gan to operate about 35 years ago and 3 or 4 mills are still in 
operation. 

The stave industry has taken considerable of the choice 
white oak, once so abundant in the forests of the county. Three 
stave mills are now operating in a small way. 

Present Timber Conditions. 

Farmers own all the woodland that remains in the county. 
Perhaps not less than 80 per cent of the land has been cleared. 
A few of the woodlot areas contain valuable timber but, in near- 
ly all cases, it has been closely cut, leaving only the small and 
imperfect trees. 

HARDY COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Hardy county was formed from part of Hampshire coun- 
ty in the year 1786. It is the second county on the border south 
of the eastern panhandle. Its area is 594 square miles or 
380,160 acres. 

Topography. 

The surface of the county is similar to that of Hampshire, 
being a succession of parallel mountain ridges and river val- 
leys. On the west, followed by the Hardy-Grant boundary 
line, is Patterson Creek Mountain with an elevation of 3,000 
feet in some places. East of this, and near the center of the 
county, are South mountain, Branch mountain, Short mountain 
and Big ridge. The line which separates the county from Shen- 



156 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



ancloah and Frederick counties^ Virginia, on the east, follows 
North mountain for many miles at an elevation of about 3,000 
feet. In some places the higher ridges are broken by eastward 
and westward flowing streams and the foot-hills or, lesser ridges, 
some of which rise only a few hundred feet above the valleys, 
are everywhere interrupted in this way. 

The principal rivers of the county are the South Branch 
of the Potomac, with its South Fork or Moorefield tributary, 
and the Lost river. The former enters the area from Grant 
county through the picturesque Petersburg Gap. From the 
place where it emerges from the gap the river flows through a 
broad and fertile valley, past Moorefield the countj^ seat, where 
the volume of water is doubled by its confluence with the Sou4;h 
Fork. From this place it flows on in the same northeasterly di- 
rection through a still wider and more fertile valley to the mouth 
of Mud Lfick run. Here the valley comes to a sudden end, 
the steep slopes of Mill Creek mountain on the west and those 
of a lower, narrower ridge on the east descending to the very 
v/ater's edge and forming for a distance of about 7 miles a deep 
and symmetrical canon, known as the ' ' Trough. ' ' The Lost river 
flows several miles northwestward and parallel with the south- 
eastern line of the county. A short distance above the tovm of 
Warclensville the river disappears under a hill, reappearing a 
mile or more below. Below this underground or ''lost" portion 
of the channel, which gives the upper course of the stream its 
name, the river is known as Cacapon or Great Cacapon through 
the counties of Hampshire and Morgan. The North river, a large 
tributary of the Cacapon, rises in the northern end of Hardy 
county. 

Original Timber Conditions. 

As a whole, the county was not heavily timbered. The prin- 
cipal valleys and the rich mountain coves, however, once con- 
tained a dense stand of oaks, hickories, walnuts, ash, basswood, 
and many other hardwoods. The timber has been removed from 
nearly all the bottom lands but a few remaining wgin wood- 
lots furnish evidence of the superiority of the valley timbers. 
Up to about 1891 the county contained a considerable quantity 



WEST VmGINLV GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



157 



of good pine. White oak and chestnut oak were the leading 
timbers, both growing abundantly, the former in nearly all sec- 
tions and the latter on dry ridges and exposed mountain faces. 
The stand of timber per acre on the remaining virgin tracts 
varies from about 500 feet to 5,000 feet. A stand of .timber far 
in excess of this once occupied the rich lands that have been 
cleared for agricultural purposes. 

The original forests of the county, as indicated by the large 
virgin areas still to be found on some of the mountains and in 
the farmers' woodlots, were preeminently forests of oak. The 
12 species of oaks named below were observed during a 2 hour's 
drive near Moorefield on September 10th, 1909 : 

Red Oak (Quercus rubra). 

Pin Oak (Quercus palustris). 

Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea). 

Black Oak (Quercus velutina). 

Scrub Oak (Quercus nana). 

Shingle Oak (Quercus imbricaria). 

White Oak (Quercus alba). 

Post Oak (Quercus minor). 

Mossy-cup Oak (Quercus macrocarpa). 

Swamp White Oak (Quercus platanoides) . 

Chestnut Oak (Quercus Prinus). 

Yellow Oak (Quercus acuminata). 

Another species, the Black Jack Oak (Quercus Marilan- 
dica) is reported by Dr. C. F. Llillspaugh from the same lo- 
cality. 

The Lumber Industry. 

The lumber business in this area which, until within the 
present year has been far removed from railroads and other 
means of rapid transportation, is not comparable with the 
enormous industry which exists in many other parts of West 
Virginia. Naturally, there never have been any large mills in 
the county, and all the savring, so far, has been done by the old- 
fashioned upright water saw mills and by small portable steam 
mills which were hauled in on wagons and by traction engines. 
The first steam saw mill was brought in by F. B. Welton and 



158 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



placed just below the Petersburg Gap in the southwest end of 
the county. About a dozen saw mills are now in operation. 

The cross-tie industry has taken out, it is said, about 70,000 
ties a year for the past 10 years. Most of these have been rafted 
down the South Branch to Romney and shipped from there by 
rail. 

Much of the good walnut has been hauled out on wagons 
and exported in the log. 

On the east side of the county some good pine timber was 
hauled to Virginia for building purposes several years ago. 

According to Martin's "Gazetteer of Virginia and the Dis- 
trict of Columbia", there were 2 tan yards, 2 wagon makers 
and 1 chair maker in Hardy county (then embracing Grant) in 
1835. A large quantity of excellent chestnut oak has been wasted 
at the early tan yards and the larger tanneries of more recent 
years. According to Mr. C. B. Welton, of Moorefield, the 
trunks of the thousands of chestnut oak trees that were peeled in 
the early days and up to about 5 years ago by the owners of 
the larger tanneries in Virginia and at Lost City and Mooreiield, 
were left on the ground to decay. 

Shingles and locust posts were often traded to merchants 
for goods during the period of early settlement. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

Hardy county still contains about 64,000 acres of virgin 
woodland. This lies principally on both sides of the South Fork 
of the Potomac in the southeast and in scattered boundaries of 
various sizes along the principal mountains, as seen from the 
map which accompanies this report. Outside of this there is a 
large acreage of inferior woodland upon the low, sandy ridges 
lying back from the river bottoms. On these areas are to be 
found a more or less dense stand of scrub pine, "jack" oak, 
and others of little commercial value. There are many small 
areas from which the best timber has been taken, but these are 
owned by farmers and hence are not classed as cut-over land. 

In some localities where the mature pine timber was killed 
by insects about 18 years ago there is a slight reproduction of 
softwoods, such as yellow pine, white pine, pitch pine, scrub 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



159 



pine, and table mountain pine, and in many places an excellent 
stand of young locusts, oaks, chestnuts, ashes, poplars and 
others. 

Perhaps not more than 25 per cent of the whole county is 
cleared for cultivation and grazing purposes. Moorefield dis- 
trict, including the best of the South Branch valley, is the most 
improved section; and South Fork district, embracing much of 
the mountain woodland on the southeast, is the roughest and 
least improved. 

HARRISON COUNTY. 



Location and Ar^a. 

Harrison county, formed in 1784 from part of Monongalia, 
lies in the north-central part of the State. Its area is 416.18 
square miles or 266,355.2 acres. 

Topograph 7- 

The hills of most sections of the county are comparatively 
low and smooth. There are valleys of considerable extent along 
the West Fork river from Clarksburg to the Barbour line and 
along Simpson creek, Elk creek and Tenmile creek. 

West Fork river, the principal stream of the county, flows 
northward, passing a little east of the center. Its larger tribu- 
taries from the east are Shinns run, Simpson creek, Elk creek. 
Browns creek, Lost creek, Duck creek and Hackers creek. Those 
flowing in from the west are Bingamon creek, Jones creek, Ten- 
mile creek, Lambert run, Coburn creek. Sycamore creek, Buf- 
falo creek, Isaacs creek and Two Lick creek. The whole area 
is drained by the streams named above, with their tributaries, 
except that Booths creek and Coons run, tributaries also of the 
West Fork, drain a small area in the northeast. 

Original Timber Conditions. 

It is difficult now to find any more than a trace of the 
original forests. The quality of timber in small isolated areas, 
however, together with the unusual fertility of the soil and other 



160 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



favorable natural conditions, justify us in asserting that no 
county in tlie State liacl a larger and more uniform boundary 
of superior hardwoods. Kearly every species of hardwood 
common to central "West Virginia grew here but those which 
should be especially mentioned were yellow poplar, white oali, 
red oak, black walnut, hickory, white ash and sugar maple. 
There were no softwoods of any consequence. 



The Lumber Industry. 

The rich and easily cultivated lands of Harrison county in- 
vited settlement and the clearing of large areas before the tim- 
ber had a commercial value. The removal of timber from farms 
in all sections has made an extensive lumber industry, — such as 
has been carried on in other parts of the State — an impossibility. 
There were saw mills, it is true, operating along several of the 
streams in an early day; but these were of the usual primitive 
type and manufactured lumber in small amounts for domestic 
use only. An early writer, speaking of the industries in Harri- 
son county, informs us that there were 6 saw mills running in 
the year 1835. 

Poplar, oak, and some other timbers have been floated out 
on the West Fork river, going to Pittsburg, Brownsville, Rices 
Landing, Beaver and other points along the Monongahela and 
Ohio rivers. 

Most of the timber not destroyed by the settlers has been 
sawed by portable mills which have moved from place to place 
during the last 40 or 50 years. As a rule the operations have 
been most numerous and active in the localities made accessible 
by the building of railroads. According to Haymond's "His- 
tory of Harrison County" published in 1909, the principal 
railroads of the county were completed as follows: 

Baltimore and Ohio railroad to Clarksburg in 1856. 
Mohongah railroad in 1889. 
West Virginia and Pittsburg railroad in 1879. 
Short Line railroad in 1901. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



161 



Present Forest Conditions. 

About 80 per cent of the county has been cleared and is 
now in a good state of cultivation. The remainder of the area 
is in woodlots ranging in size from 1 or 2 acres up to 100 acres 
or more. Woodland is more plentiful on the western edge of 
the county than in other sections. Mr. R. T. Lowndes, of Clarks- 
burg, mentions a broken tract of about 2,000 acres of culled forest 
lying on Indian run, a tributary of Tenmile creek in the western 
part of the county. 

JACKSON COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Jackson county lies on the Ohio river between Mason on 
the southwest and Wood on the north. It was formed from 
parts of Kanawha, Wood and ]\Iason counties in 1831, Area, 
470.29 square miles or 300,985.6 acres. 

Topography. 

Like other counties lying along the Ohio river Jackson has 
a surface diversified with hills and valleys. In most parts the 
hills are low and smooth, admitting of easy cultivation. The 
steepest and roughest land is found on the hillsides facing the 
Ohio river at several places, and along some of the streams, par- 
ticularly the headwaters of the Eight and Left forks of Sandy 
creek, the several headwaters of Mill creek, and the Middle fork 
of Pocatalico river. The Ohio river valley averages a mile in 
width from Millwood northward for about 5 miles and about 
the same width for nearly 3 miles in the vicinity of Ravenswood. 
To the north and south of the wdde valleys named, and for a 
short distance between them, the hills descend abruptly to the 
water's edge, except that from ^lurrayville southward for about 
5 miles there is a narrow valley widening at Muses Bottom 
to nearly half a mile. Both Mill creek and Sandy creek have 
bottoms of a width varying from a few rods toward their heads 
to almost a mile at a few points along their lower courses. 
11 



162 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



The drainage is principally through Mill creek, Sandy- 
creek, Little Sandy creek, and through numerous smaller 
streams and the tributaries of Pond creek to the Ohio river, 
which forms the irregular western boundary of the county for 
about 30 miles. An area of considerable extent in the south is 
drained by the Middle and Left forks of the Pocatalico river. 

Original Timber Conditions. 

Jackson county once had an immense amount of fine white 
oak, yellow pine, yellow poplar, chestnut, black walnut, red 
oak, black oak, chestnut oak, beech and hickory, with smaller 
amounts of white elm, sugar maple, red maple, basswood, white 
ash, sycamore, white walnut, hemlock, white pine, black gum 
and others usually found with them. Yellow pine grew on sandy 
hills and south exposures in nearly all parts of the county but 
more abundantly toward the northeast. 

The Lumber Industry. 

By the year 1830 there was a store and blacksmith shop at 
Eipley, the present county seat, and several settlements had 
been made along the Ohio river and at other places inland. It 
is hardly necessary to mention that here, as elsewhere, some of 
the best timber was destroyed by the early settlers who needed 
the use of the land more than they needed the timber. The small 
amount of lumber used in the construction of rude dwellings and 
outbuildings was sawed by hand or on upright or sash saw mills 
run by water power. As early as 1835 there were 5 combination 
grist and sash saw mills on Mill creek and probably others on 
Sandy creek. These sawed for domestic use and some lumber 
from them was rafted to the Ohio river and there sold to dealers. 

Extensive floating has been carried on along Llill creek, 
Sandy creek and Pocatalico river. Logs floated by private own- 
ers and by companies were caught in booms at the mouths of 
the 3 streams named above. Here they were rafted and taken 
to Cincinnati and other cities along the Ohio. Cole and Crane 
of Cincinnati were the principal rafters and took out an enor- 
mous quantity of poplar, oak and yellow pine from about 1880 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



163 



to 1897. According to Mr. B, F. Armstrong, of Ripley, steam 
saw mills were brought to the interior of the county about the 
year 1870. At least 1 steam saw mill was in operation in the 
river valley in 1847. Between 1870 and the completion of the 
Ripley branch of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad in 1888 the 
steam saw milling consisted largely in the cutting of cross-ties. 
These were floated on the creeks and caught in the booms at 
their mouths. After the extension of the branch railroads up 
Mill creek to Ripley, at the date given above, and up Sandy 
creek 4 years later, many portable saw mills were put in opera- 
tion and the lumber manufactured by them shipped from Rip- 
ley, Evans, and other stations. The several saw mills now in 
operation saw cross-ties and a little lumber in the winter and 
thresh grain in the summer and fall. No band mills have 
operated at any time in the county. 

The cross-tie industry has been extensive for 20 years, and 
many were cut before that time. About 75,000 ties were cut in 
the county in 1909. In 1908, 150,000 were cut, and not fewer 
than half a million went out during some single years preceding 
this. 

Much of the good white oak was manufactured into split, 
bucked a,nd sawed staves. The staves were floated or hauled to 
the Ohio river and there were sold to the coopers of Parkers- 
burg and other cities. It is stated that as many as 75 teams 
could often be seen in a day hauling staves on the Ravenswood 
road. The staves were hauled from far in the interior and fre- 
quently 2 or 3 days were required to make the trip. Merchants 
frequently bought staves and shingles, paying for them with 
goods or cash. 

Boatbuilding has been the leading industry at Murrayville 
since the year 1837. An historical sketch which appeared in 
the Jackson Herald of February 4, 1910, is interesting not only 
in outlining the progress of this early enterprise, but also in 
throwing light on the primitive methods of lumber manufacture 
in that locality 70 years ago: 

''In the fall of 1837, Elijah Murray and Capt. Wm. Hicks 
bought the land now occupied as the boat yard, and comprising 
the upper part of the town, for the purpose of carrying on the 
business of boat building, and in the spring of 1838 commenced 



164 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



operations. Mr. Murray, from whom the town derived its name, 
and who acted as foreman in the business, remained about two 
years, but becoming financially embarrassed, sold out and re- 
moved to some point below. The business was then carried on 
by Capt. Wm. Hicks, John Eoberts and E,. W. Skillenger. * * * 
***** During the year 1847 the steam saw mill was erected 
by James F. Scott, John Roberts and E. W. Skillengeir, who 
continued the business of boat building. Many were the disad- 
vantages under which boat building was carried on during the 
first eight or ten years. There was no saw mill in the country, 
and the lumber was procured by the soul killing method, com- 
monly called "whip sawing." Among these old pioneer "whip 
sawyers" we find the names of Samuel Swain, Joseph Grim, 
Samuel Craig, Samuel Pearson, Eli Powell, George Caster, 
Jacob Brinkerstaif, Damon Springer, Samuel White, and two 
men from Mill Creek, John Tall and J. Thomas, commonly 
known as the "Eed men from the East." Among the pioneer 
ship carpenters we find the names of E. W. Skillenger, John 
Ml. Whealdon, Benj. OUom, Jerry OUom, John Bell, Thomas 
Bell, Frank Bell, Adam Parker, Thomas Fry, and many others. 
R. W. Skillenger became foreman in the yard in the year 1840, 
and occupied the position until the spring of 1884, making his 
term of service about forty years. ********* 

' ' Following is a list of the steam boats built at Murrayville, 
in the order as they were built, and the names of the parties 
for whom they were built:" 



NAMES OP BOATS. PARTIES FOR WHOM BUILT. 

Amazon Capt. Louderbeck 

Miami Capt. Greene 

Gen. Scott Capt. Dobbins 

Scioto Valley Capt. Hicks 

Ohio Valley Davis & Smith 

Oneida Davis & Smith 

Congress Capt. Hicks 

Imp ort er Capt. Johnson 

Lancet Capt. Hicks 

Fort Wayne \ Capt. Hicks 

Louis Phillip Rogers & Co. 

Scioto Davis & Smith 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



165 



A. N. Johnson Capt. Bennett 

Beacon Capt Shaw 

Car of Commerce Davis & Smith 

Audubon Martin & Anchutz 

Tuba Capt. R. Hill 

David Gibson Capt. McKinley 

City Bell Capt. Hicks 

Bayou Bell Capt, Walker 

Shelby Capt. Bishop 

Ham Howell Capt. Robb 

Eeuben White .Capt. Shelby 

Free Stone Garrett & Co. 

Chatahula Capt. Walker 

Emperor Capt. Reno 

Glide Capt. Anderson 

Revenue Capt. Booth 

St. John List & Co. 

R. R. Hudson Capt. Russell 

Quick Step Capt. Smith 

Oriole Capt. Dowry 

Hope Capt. Davis 

Ed. Hobbs Capt. Hornbrook 

R. W. Skillenger Capt. Plesher 

Prairie City Capt. Flesher 

H. Lindsay Capt. Barrett 

Moulton Capt. Barrett 

Irvin Capt. White 

Hudson Capt. List 

N. J. Roberts Capt. Roberts 

St. Lawrence Capt. List 

Sidney Capt. List 



' ' In addition to the steam boats, there has been a great num- 
ber of barges and wharf boats built; among which, the great 
mammoth wharf boat at Cincinnati was built for Capt. McCoy. 
The business of boat building is still (1884) carried on by A. J. 
^Flesher & Son.'' 



166 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Present Forest Conditions. 

All the land of the county — of which at least 80 per cent is 
cleared — is owned and occupied by farmers. The woodland is 
chiefly in scattered second growth woodlots. Some farmers, par- 
ticularly those in Ripley and Washington districts, have areas of 
75 to 300 acres of practically virgin forest. A few of those hold- 
ing the larger areas of this kind are J. L. Starcher, 150 acres ; J. 
H. G. Winters, 150 acres; L. D. Parsons, 250 acres; E. Thomas, 
150 acres; G. W. Anderson, 100 acres; Alice Rogers, 300 acres. 
There are many smaller woodlots containing good timber, but 
those with second growth and inferior, stands predominate. 

JEFFERSON COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Jefferson county was formed from part of Berkeley in the 
year 1801. It is the easternmost county in West Virginia and is 
bounded on the north by Maryland, on the east and south by Vir- 
ginia, and on the west by Berkeley county. The area is 213 square 
miles or 136,320 acres. 

Topography. 

This county lies in the valley of the Potomac and the Shen- 
andoah rivers and has a rolling surface throughout its entire ex- 
tent, except in the southeast where the Blue Ridge mountains 
rise abruptly from the east bank of the Shenandoah. The eastern 
line touches the highest point in the county and the lowest point 
ia the state ; namely, 1,600 feet on the Blue Ridge, and 260 feet 
a short distance below the junction of the Potomac and Shenan- 
doah rivers. 

The area is amply supplied with drainage by the Potomac 
and the Shenandoah rivers, the former flowing at the north, and 
the latter at the western base of the Blue Ridge on the east. Lucas 
run empties into the Potomac about 3 miles below Shepherdstown, 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



167 



and Elk branch empties just above Harpers Ferry. The chief 
tributaries of the Shenandoah in the county, named from Harperi 
Ferry up-stream, are Flowing run, Cattail run, Evitt run, Bull- 
skin run and Long Marsh run. Opequon creek and Rocky Marsh 
run form a part of the boundary line between Jefferson and Ber- 
keley. 

Original Timber Conditions. 

The fertile limestone areas of the county once contained a 
superior stand of hardwoods. Of these the chief were probably 
white oak, red oak, hickory, poplar, ash, and black walnut. Others 
of the hill land were chestnut (on Blue Ridge) pitch pine, scrub 
pine, locust, chestnut oak and scarlet oak. 

No definite data can now be collected regarding original con- 
ditions as the forests have long since been cleared away or 
stripped of their virgin growth. 

The Lumber Industry. 

Jefferson county has been settled for nearly 200 years. For 
more than 100 years, certainly, after the settlement of Shepherds- 
town (then Mecklenberg) in 1727, there could have been little or 
no commercial use made of the trees that were cut. When the- 
Baltimore and Ohio railroad reached Harpers Ferry in Decem- 
ber, 1834, however, the timber of the county began to have some 
marketable value, especially as it was of good quality and easily 
accessible from this terminus. From 1834 to the present the 
county has furnished a large amount of timber. Many of the 
young trees standing when the forests were first cut over reached 
a large size within a hundred years and were cut as a second 
crop. 

Mr. J. Garland Hurst, of Harpers Ferry, says that water 
power saw mills were once common along the streams and sawed 
not only for domestic use but for commercial purposes as Avell. 
There is still one water-power saw mill in running order at 
Halltown on Flowing run. Steam saw mills have operated ir- 
regularly in the county for many years. Joseph Martin, an 
early witer on the resources of Virginia, lists 2 saw mills for 



168 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Jefferson county in 1835. One of these, located at Harpers 
Ferry, he asserts was "one of the most valuable mills in the 
United States." 

There are 4 or 5 portable saw mills now in the county. 

Present Forest Conditions. 

At least 75 per cent of the whole county has been cleared. 
There are some small, pastured woodlots connected with the 
farms in the improved sections. The West Virginia side of the 
Blue Ridge mountains is largely covered with a growth of in- 
ferior hardwoods. There are areas of considerable extent also 
overgrown with scrub oaks and pines near the Berkeley county 
line. 

KANAWHA COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

The western portion of Virginia was once embraced by 5 
counties, namely, Montgomery, Harrison, Monongalia, Ohio 
and Greenbrier. Kanawha county was formed from parts of 
Greenbrier and Montgomery in the year 1789. Its location is 
southwest of the center of the state, and its area is 872 square 
miles or 558,080 acres. 

Topography. 

The county has a varied surface, being mountainous in the 
east and south, hilly in other parts, with broad bottom lands 
along the Great Kanawha river. Mountain ridges have no reg- 
ularity of trend or elevation, steams flow in almost every di- 
rection, and the whole area presents a varied topography dif- 
ficult or impossible to describe accurately in detail. The lowest 
land is found where the Great Kanawha passes into Putnam 
county at 560 feet elevation. Little Gauley Mountains, in the 
eastern part, have an elevation of a little more than 1,500 feet; 
Big Knob, south of the town of Clendennin, rises to 1,487 feet; 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



169 



Table Rock rises to 1,756 feet; and Johnson knob, in the south- 
em end, reaches an elevation of 2,200 feet above the sea. 

The Great Kanawha river flows in a northwest direction 
through the county for about 50 miles, passing a little south of 
the center. This is the principal stream and, with its tribu- 
taries, drains the entire area. The larger rivers and creeks 
which flow in from the north are Pocatalico river. Elk river, 
Campbell creek and Kelly creek. Those from the south are 
Coal river, Davis creek. Cabin creek and Paint creek. There 
are many others of smaller size, tributaries of the Kanawha and 
of the other rivers named above. 

Original Timber Conditions. 

Nearly all traces of the original forests have disappeared 
from the rich bottoms of the Great Kanawha and only here and 
there in the more remote sections can virgin conditions be found. 
For this reason, an examination of the area at the present day 
fails to reveal the nature of the original growth in the sections 
where the timber grew in greatest luxuriance. 

Fortunately, writers have left a few paragraphs which men- 
tion incidentally some of the prevalent timbers of the Kanawha 
valley. In his "History of Kanawha County" Hon. Geo. W. 
Atkinson says : 

"The Kanawha Valley was at one time literally covered 
and packed with the largest growths of nearly every variety of 
timber common to this latitude. Beech may be especially men- 
tioned, which grew in great abundance in the low, flat portions 
of the entire valley. The heavy beech masts never failed to at- 
tract wild turkeys, pigeons, and bears, in numberless flocks and 
companies, every fall. 

"The wide, level bottom on which Charleston now stands, 
was studded formerly with beech timber, and the pioneer hunt- 
ers would come here every fall, from all the neighboring settle- 
ments, to kill their winter's bear meat. The bears would get 
so fat and lazy from eating beech mast, that they would hardly 
move out of the way of the hunter. 

During the summer of 1872 W. E. D. Scott visited the 
home of the late eminent naturalist William H. Edwards at 



170 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Coalburg and made collections and studies in company with 
Hon. "William S. Edwards, the latter 's son. In the "Story of 
a Bird Lover" Mr, Scott speaks of the region about Coalburg 
as follows : 

rpj^g river is about a quarter of a 
mile wide, generally, winding in and out among the hills, which 
rise abruptly just back from the river, there being little bottom 
land. At the time I visited this region it was heavily timbered 
with a growth of poplar, beech, oak, and some chestnut, though 
beech was one of the most noticeable of the forest trees. Small 
streams flowed down at frequent intervals from the high hills 
above, which form a spur of the Allegheny Range. The eleva- 
tions here can hardly be called mountains^ as they attain a 
height of not more than seven hundred feet above the level of 
the river." 

There is a tract of virgin forest lying on the waters of 
Kelly and Hughes creeks, containing 8,000 acres, on which a 
count of trees was recently made. This tract includes the poor 
land of hills, the steep bluffs of mountain streams, and the rich 
lands of coves and bottoms, and may be said to fairly represent 
the forests of considerable of the area. The kinds and numbers 
of trees are as follows: 





9,831 trees. 




31,710 


< i 




2,497 




Maple, (red) 


301 


it 




2,510 


i c 




1,190 


( i 




671 


(C 




509 


a 




1,463 


i ( 


Ash 


122 


( i 




Ill 


I ( 




660 


i ( 


Black Walnut 


62 


I » 




5 


( < 




3 


(( 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



171 



The Lumber Industry. 

A record of the part which the forests of Kanawha county 
have played in the activities of its residents, from the first set- 
tlement made by William Morris in 1774 to the present day, 
would require a volume. Important as were the products of the 
forests of the county, however, affecting the financial welfare, 
the occupation and the very character of almost every citizen, 
we find only here and ihere a brief reference to the reduction of 
the forests by early settlers or to the development of a later lum- 
ber industry in the papers and books that contain a record of 
the history of this region. 

Much of the Kanawha valley was cleared and settled thickly 
before the timber had any considerable market value. In these 
days small quantities were used about the dwellings of the set- 
tlers but the amount was insignificant when compared v^th the 
enormous stand. One of the first uses made of timber, aside 
from that just mentioned, was in the manufacture of boxes, tubs 
and hogsheads in which large quantities of salt were sold from 
the furnaces above Charleston as early as the year 1808, and in 
the construction of log rafts and flat-boats on which the salt was 
taken down the river. Many of the receptacles and flat-boats, 
however, were made from timber outside the county. 

Charleston has been the center of an enormous lumber in- 
dustry for many years. A report of A. M. Scott, resident U. S. 
engineer in charge of the river at Charleston, shows the quantity 
of forest products that passed through Lock No. 6, four miles be- 
low Charleston, for the year ending June 30th, 1892, as follows : 

Timber, 39,585,000 feet. 
Tan-bark, 590 cords. 
Eailroad ties, 924,650. 
Hoop-poles, 980 000. 
Shingles, 2,750,000. 

The report also shows that 44,400,000 feet of logs and lum- 
ber, 380,000 cross-ties, 1,405,000 oak staves and 240 cords of tan- 
baTk came down Elk river during the same year. 

Answering a recent inquiry concerning the past lumber 



172 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



operations in the city of Charleston, Mr. Samuel Stephenson 
gives the following specific information: 

^'In regard to the early operations in Charleston, Kanawha 
county, I desire to say that there were a great many large mills 
located here at one time which have long since ceased operation. 

' ' The Bibby mill was one of the oldest mills operated in this 
city. It was built a great many years ago and had a sash saw. 
Later a circular saw was put in its stead. This mill was operated 
until a few years ago. 

"The Woodruffs owned and operated a mill from about 1872 
to 1878. This was a large circular mill^ capacity from 20,000 to 
80,000 feet per day. The principal lumber manufactured and 
sawed at that time was walnut and poplar. 

"Manley and Frailkill had a circular saw mill, capacity 15,- 
000 to 20,000. They operated from 1874 to 1880 ; walnut being 
the principal timber manufactured. 

"Behjmier operated a circular saw mill from 1874 to 1882. 

''In 1882 J. R. Huffman, the inventor of the band mill, built 
and operated two band mills within the city. One of these mills 
is still standing but doing no business. 

''The Devereaux Lumber Company o^vned and operated a 
large band mill built about 1880 and run until 1904, when it was 
torn down and moved to Mississippi. This mill perhaps cut 
more timber than any other mill that operated in the city. 

"Since the building of the Coal and Coke railroad up the 
Elk river most of the mills have quit business as their log supply 
could not easily be maintained. 

"These are some of the oldest mills which operated exten- 
siveb/ from 1875 to 1905. A great deal of timber which came 
out of the Elk river valley, from Kanawha coumty and from 
points farther up, was rafted and floated to Gallapolis and Cin- 
cinnati where it was manufactured. The dates given in regard 
to these early operations may be a little off, but in the main they 
are correct." 

J. H. Diss Debar, Author of "The West Virginia Hand Book i 
and Immigrant's Guide" published in 1870, speaks as follows of 
a company that operated in Charleston : 

"A company of enterprising Pennsylvanians, with a capital 
of $300,000 under the corporate style of "The Elk River Land, 




CHIMNEY ROCK OVERLOOKING HARPERS FERRY AT BASE OF BLUE 
RIDGE MOUNTAINS. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



173 



Improvement, Manufacturing and Boom Company" obtained a 
charter for the exclusive privilege of booming Elk river and its 
tributaries, as far up as the mouth of Holly river, and are now 
engaged in developing 80,000 acres of land in Webster and Brax- 
ton counties with saw mills, planing mills and business head- 
quarters at Charleston. 

"One of the first operations of this company was the ship- 
ping of 10,000 feet of black walnut plank. ' ' 

The 5 band saw mills now operating in the county, except 
the one located on Kelly creek, are sawing timber which is ob- 
tained from other counties. A number of small lumber and stave 
mills are engaged in sawing in various parts of the county. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

The largest forests of the county lie in the eastern end and 
along the southern border. There are about 8,800 acres remain- 
ing in virgin forest and 81,000 acres in cut-over forest. 

Almost every acre of the Kanawha valley has been cleared, 
but in nearly all other parts of the county the area of woodland 
owned principally by farmers, approaches, equals or exceeds the 
area of cleared land. Jefferson, Union, Poca and Big Sandy 
districts have a large percentage of cleared lands, while Elk, Mai- 
den, Louden, Washington and Cabin Creek districts have from 
30 to 80 per cent of their area in timber, or in an unimproved 
condition. In the coal mining sections, especially, there are large 
areas overgrown with unprofitable thickets of stunted oaks, and 
with worthless species of shrubs and trees. 

Mr. D. Gr. Courtney, a prominent lumberman of Charleston, 
estimates that the county has about one-tenth of its original tim- 
ber left, and that approximately 60 per ecnt of this is oak, 20 
per cent poplar, 18 per cent other deciduous trees, such as ash, 
basswood, chestnut, birch and walnut, and 2 per cent pines and 
hemlock. 



174 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



LEWIS COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Lewis county, formed in the year 1816 from part of Harri- 
son, is situated slightly north of the center of the State. Its area 
is 414 square miles or 264,960 acres. 

Topography. 

This county lies in what is often termed the high hilly sec- 
tion, occupying as it does a position intermediate between the 
Alleghany mountains and the low hilly region of the Ohio river. 
In nearly all sections the hills are steep and the ridges long and 
narrow. There are a few sections, as the smooth portions of 
Hackers Creek and Freemans Creek districts, where there are 
broad valleys and where the hills are rather rolling than rough. 
Sand Fork of Little Kanawha river leaves the county at an eleva- 
tion of 770 feet; the West Fork river leaves at about 970 feet, 
and Hackers Creek leaves at a little less than 1,000 feet. Buck- 
hannon mountain, Bald knob, Cochran knob, Pine knob, Rush 
knob and Sugar knob range in elevation from approximately 
1,600 feet to 1,800 feet. 

The largest stream of the county is West Fork river which 
rises in the southern end and flows northward, passing near the 
center of the county. Its largest right hand tributaries are Hack- 
ers creek, Stonecoal creek and Sand Fork. The principal left 
hand branches are Kincheloe creek, flowing between Lewis and 
Harrison, Freemans creek, Polk creek and Eush run. The head- 
waters of Oil creek. Sand Fork and Leading creek, tributaries of 
the Little Kanawha, drain a large territory in the southwest. 

Original Timber Conditions. 

The original forests of Lewis county were essentially hard- 
wood. Hemlock was never plentiful as in some adjacent counties 
and other softwoods, such as pitch pine and red cedar, grew only 
in small scattered clumps. Yellow poplars, oaks, black walnuts, 
locusts, maples, hickories, beeches, and many other hardwoods 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL. SURVEY. 



175 



grew in every locality. In the fertile valleys of Hackers creek 
and West Fork river the stand of timber was once enormous, as 
indicated by a few remnants that still remain. The broad mea- 
dows of the bottom lands are almost everywhere adorned with 
magnificent specimens of such trees as black maple, white elm, 
sweet buckeye and white oak. Along the slow-flowing streams 
black willows, sycamores, box elders and many other water- 
loving trees grow in profusion. These individual trees and 
small areas of timberland furnish the most reliable and satisfac- 
tory information regarding the original forests. 

The Lumber Industry. 

More than half of the county was settled before timber could 
be sold for enough to justify the owners in getting it to market. 
The early settlements throughout the northern and eastern dis- 
tricts were supplied with such lumber as they needed by the 
water-power saw mills located along the streams of this region. 
That only the choice trees, such as soft yellow poplars and black 
wahiuts were cut for this purpose, is shown by the clear and well 
preserved lumber in some of the old residences and out-buildings 
still to be found. All trees that were too large to be easily manu- 
factured as well as all that were not within easy reach of some 
mill, were cut down and split into fence rails, boards, or punch- 
eons, or else rolled together in the clearings and burned. 

There were large numbers of poplar logs floated on the West 
Fork river from about 1875 to 1890. This was before the time 
of an active industry at home and the logs were obtained at a low 
price. Mr. R. T. Lowndes, of Clarksburg, was the principal oper- 
ator, during this period. He bought logs from the land owners 
along West Fork and its larger tributaries and floated them to 
Clarksburg where they were manufactured into lumber on his cir- 
cular mills. W. B. Mick and Sons also floated logs within the 
same period. 

There has never been a band saw mill in operation in the 
county. Portable stave and circular lumber mills have cut most 
of the timber not removed as described above. Almost every lo- 
cality has had mills of the latter kind. The two districts which 
have been most thinly settled and in which the portable saw mill 



176 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



industry has been most active are Collins Settlement and Court- 
liouse, lying together in the southern and southwestern parts of 
the county. Most of the lumber from the small mills has been 
hauled to the railroad and shipped. It was not unusual for lum- 
ber to be hauled on wagons for a distance of 20 or 25 miles. 
Weston, Orlando, Roanoke, Arnold, and more recently, various 
stations along the Coal and Coke railroad, have been the ship- 
ping points for lumber. A private narrow gauge railroad, con- 
necting Ireland with Walkersville on the Coal and Coke railroad, 
brings out the lumber from that section. 

Among the most extensive operators of portable mills were 
S. Hinkle and Company, who carried on a lumber industry in 
Collins Settlement district for 20 years, and the Alton Lumber 
Company, which took out a large quantity of export oak. G. F. 
Stockert sawed about 33 million feet in 22 sets prior to the year 
1888, when he moved his operations to Upshur county. During 
recent years from 15 to 20 small mills have been sawing ir- 
regularly. 

Present Forest Conditions. 

There are no extensive virgin or cut-over forests left in the 
county. Approximately 100,000 acres still remain in forest of 
some kind but all, or nearly all of this is in small woo diets con- 
nected with cleared lands. The farmers in most sections own 
sufficient timber for domestic use, and in some cases have re- 
served excellent stands of oak and other hardwoods. 

LINCOLN COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Lincoln county was formed in 1867 from parts of Cabell, 
Putnam, Kanawha and Boone. It lies in the southwestern part 
of the state and is the southernmost of the second tier of coun- 
ties east of the Ohio river. The area is 441 square miles or 
282,240 acres. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



177 



Topography. 

The surface of the county is uneven and hilly. There is 
a dilference of only about 200 feet in the height of the hills in 
the eastern and western sections. Those in the west reach an 
elevation of 1,000 to 1,300 feet and the elevation of those in the 
east varies from 1,200 to 1,500 feet. The elevation of the 
Guyandot valley where the river leaves the county in the north- 
west is about 550 feet and that of the Coal river in the east is 
about 600 feet. 

The county is well drained by Guyandot, Mud and Coal 
rivers. The Guyandot flows northward through the western 
part, the Mud river flows parallel with it through the center, 
and the Coal river flows northward along the eastern border. 
Each of these rivers has numerous small tributaries. 

The Original Forests. 

The leading timbers were yellow poplar, black walnut, 
white ash, black cherry, and white oak, red oak and chestnut 
oak. Other less valuable but plentiful timbers were beech, ma- 
ples, hickories, birches, black gum, white elm, sycamore and 
others. There was a fairly good growth of hemlock in favorable 
localities throughout the county. 

The Lumber Industry. 

It may be stated that here, as in many of the other counties, 
there was a large but necessary destruction of fine timber in the 
clearings of the early settlers. The period of such destruction in 
Lincoln began about 1820 and lasted, approximately, for 50 
years. The first farmers who occupied the northern and north- 
eastern sections of the county, principally along the water 
courses of Guyandot, Mud and Coal rivers, destroyed much 
valuable timber which could not be used for domestic purposes 
and which had no commercial value at that time and place. 
The poplars, walnuts and oaks grew to such a size that the 
early settlers found it difficult to clear their lands of them. 
The chief uses that could be made of timber in those days was 
12 



178 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



in the construction of log dwellings and outbuildings and for 
fencing. The first lumber was sawed with whip saws' operated 
by hand. A little later a few water-power saw mills were 
built along the streams. One of these was operated by Charles 
Latin on the Mud river near the town of Hamlin, and another 
by David Porter 9 miles below. 

In 1872 floating began on the Gruyandot and Mud rivers. 
The first men to engage in this industry were Blankenship and 
Hoback who bought poplar timber near the Guyandot and Mud 
rivers. The trees that stood near enough were felled into the 
stream beds during the summer and fall, when the water was 
very low, and there cut into logs and left to await a freshet. 
Other logs were cut on the adjacent hillsides and hauled by 
oxen to the streams. Buying and floating was continued for 
about 30 years. Three of the most extensive operators are 
named below: 

Prichard and Lewis, the largest floaters on the Guyandot, 
built dams on many of the tributaries of that river and 
''splashed" out the logs to the main stream. They operated 
from 1885 to 1895. 

Alexander Henderson floated out large numbers of logs to 
the Ohio river during the years from 1895 to 1897. 
f Fulton Cummings rafted timber on the Mud river from 
1890 to 1900. 

It has been the custom of owners of small tracts of timber- 
land for about 30 years, to raft their own timber to Guyan- 
dotte and Huntington where ready sale could be made to opera- 
tors and timber dealers. The chief stave industry was con- 
tacted on the Mud river from 188a to 1884. The methods 
employed were very wasteful as the best only of each tree cut 
was utilized. 

Steam saw mills were introduced in 1880, being hauled in 
on wagons in that and succeeding years and placed at several 
of the more easily accessible points in the county. The lumber 
manufactured at first on these mills was rafted down the rivers 
and later was taken in boats. With the building of the rail- 
~ roads — the Guyandot Valley Branch in 1900 and the Coal River 
Branch in 1906— a large number of portable mills began opera- 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



179 



tion. Many of these are still sawing. No stationary mills with 
great capacity have operated in the county. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

The largest tract of virgin timber in the county lies on the 
head waters of Mud river along the Boone county line. A few 
miles farther north on the waters of Coal river there is another 
tract of smaller size. The 2 tracts, containing about 7,000 
acres, comprise the virgin area in this county. The cut-over 
forests occupy an area of about 52,000 acres in the southern, 
south-central and eastern parts of the county. The best timber 
has been taken from the farmers' wood-lots but there is still 
left a good stand of small oaks, beeches, maples, birches, etc. 

About 15 per cent of the county is unfit for agriculture. 
In recent years^ however, a large number of acres of the rougher 
upland has been cleared for grazing purposes and for tobacco 
growing. 

LOGAN COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Logan county, formed in 1824 from parts of Giles, Tazewell, 
Cabell and Kanawha, is situated in the southwestern part of the 
state. Its area is 494 square miles or 316,160 acres. 

Topography. 

The surface of the county presents many irregularities. 
Sharp ridges which extend in all directions alternate with the 
narrow A^allej^s of numerous streams. The greatest elevations, 
ranging from 2,500 to 2,700 feet, are to be found near the eastern 
edge of the county where the boundary line crosses the southern 
end of Huff mountain, and farther north on the ridges which 
surround the Buffalo creek basin. Both the northern and south- 
ern boundary lines follow dividing ridges for long distances, and 
the hilly surface slopes downward to the Guyandot valley in the 



180 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



center of the county. The Guyandot river enters the county 
from Mingo at about 700 feet elevation and crosses the line into 
Lincohi at 600 feet elevation. The channels of all the larger 
streams are below 1,000 feet. The 1,500 foot and 2,000 foot con- 
tour lines are not here continuous but are broken into a number 
of separate, irregular circles and ellipses surrounding the hill- 
tops and crests of narrow ridges. 

Guyandot river flows northwestward through the center of 
Logan and, with Crawley creek. Island creek, Rich creek. Big 
Huff creek, Buffalo creek, Rum creek and Dingess run as its 
principal tributaries, drains almost the whole county. An area 
of about 25,000 acres in the northeastern part is drained by the 
head waters of Spruce fork of Little Coal river, and an area of 
less extent in the southwestern part is drained by the waters of 
Kiah creek, a tributary of the Left fork of Twelvepole. 

The Original Forests. 

The original hardwood forests of the county were equal in 
stand and quality to those of any other section of the state. It is 
doubtful, indeed, if black walnut trees of such unusual size and 
perfection could have been found anywhere else in West Vir- 
ginia. J. M. Anderson cut a figured walnut which is said to have 
measured 7 feet in diameter and 80 feet to the first limb. It is 
stated that figured trees were common and that many were cut 
which equaled, or nearly equaled, in size the one mentioned above. 
The growth of yellow poplars, also, was almost phenomenal. A 
reliable citizens of Logan asserts that he saw and obtained 
measurements of a tree of this species 12 feet in diameter and 
with a long trunk which tapered evenly and moderately to the 
crown. 

Below are given the approximate percentages of timber trees 
growing on two virgin tracts lying on opposite sides of the 
county. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



181 



The stand on a 13,000 acre tract on Buffalo creek is as 
follows : 

Yellow Poplar 60 per cent. 

mite Ash ] 

Cucumber I 15 per cent. 

Basswood ) 

Oaks 

Hemlock 

Chestnut I 25 per cent 

Hickory 

Beech and others 

The stand on a 13,000 acre tract on Guyandot river and Rich 
creek is as follows : 

Oaks (principally White Oak) 50 per cent. 

Yellow Poplar ] 

Cucumber >- 25 per cent. 

Basswood ) 

Hickory ^ 

Chestnut | 

Maples I 

Beech } 25 per cent - 

Birch 

Locust 

Hemlock, and others, 

Hemlock, pitch pine and red cedar were the only softwoods. 
Cedars were not uncommon along the water courses and pitch 
pines were occasionally seen growing on dry ridges. Hemlock 
was more or less common in the stream channels of the eastern 
part of the county but rare in the western part. 

The Early Lumber Industry. 

Prior to the completion of the Guyandot Valley Branch of 
the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad to Logan in 1904, the Guyan- 
dot river furnished the only practicable means for the transpor- 
tation of logs and manufactured lumber. Rafting was confined, 
through the early years of the county's existence, to a compar- 
atively small industry carried on by the resident owners of land 



182 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



adjacent to the river. The timber so removed was of the best 
quality, however, and not a few rafts were taken to the mouth of 
the river and there sold to operators or to timber dealers. The 
Little Kanawha Lumber Company of Portsmouth, Ohio, and 
The Yellow Poplar Lumber Company of Ironton, Ohio, were the 
first large companies to raft logs out of the county. The former 
company began in 1892 and rafted until 1899, taking thousands 
of rafts, principally of poplar, from Island creek and Dingess 
run and from various points along the Guyandot. The Yellow 
Poplar Lumber Company operated about the same time but not 
so extensively. C. Crane and Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, com- 
menced rafting about 1896 and has continued to the present time, 
taking not less than 100,000,000 cubes of timber during the 14 
years of operation. 

The saw mill industry was very small before the building of 
the railroad. At the time of its completion, however, several 
portable mills were brought in and 2 or 3 large stationary mills. 
Most of these have continued to operate without intermission. 

The Present Lumber Industry. 

The only company still rafting extensively on the Guyandot 
is C. Crane and Company. The operations of this company will 
continue for a number of years. 

The United States Coal and Oil Company has been operating 
a single band mill at Holden since 1904. 

The Dimension Lumber Company has operated a band mill 
at Ethel for the past four years and has about completed the 
cutting on a large tract. 

Boone Timber Company at Clothier on Spruce fork of Little 
Coal river has recently put a band mill in operation 

Other saw mill operations in the county are few and small. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

Logan county is divided into 3 magisterial districts. — Chap- 
mansville, farthest north; Triadelphia, farthest south; and Lo- 
gan iu the middle. Chapmansville is a district of farms with 
about 5 per cent of the land owned by non-residents. In this dis- 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



183 



trict, however, the land is rough and less than half cleared. 
About 70 per cent of Logan district is owned by non-residents 
and about 30 per cent of Triadelphia. The farm lands in the 2 
districts last named are largely restricted to the narrow bottoms 
and the hillsides along the principal streams. About 10 per cent 
of the county is cleared and, altogether, 121,160 acres may be 
classed as farm and woodlot land. The remaining 195,000 acres 
are in forest. Of this 35,000 acres are in virgin forest and 
160,000 acres are in cut-over forest. The principal virgin areas 
lie toward the eastern end of the county on Buffalo creek and on 
Rich creek and Guyandot river. Smaller tracts lie near the Min- 
go line and on the river a few miles north of the town of Logan. 
There is a stand of timber on these tracts of about 12,000 feet 
per acre of the species mentioned above under another head. The 
large areas of cut-over land, found through the central and east- 
ern sections, contain, in some places, a good stand of the less 
valuable timbers. Much of the cut-over land on the northeast 
side of Guyandot river has a fair stand of excellent oak. This is 
particularly true of the territory south of Big Huff creek and be- 
tween Big Huff and Buffalo creeks. 

McDowell county. 



Location and Area. 

McDowell, formed in 1858 from a part of Tazewell, is the 
southernmost county in West Virginia. Its area is 673 square 
miles or 430,720 acres. 

Topography. 

The average elevation of McDowell is considerably below 
that of some of the counties, such as Pocahontas and Tucker 
which lie farther north along the Alleghany mountains. No one, 
however, who visits all of its parts or even crosses it from east 
to west over the Norfolk and Western railroad, will consider it 
improper to speak of the county as mountainous. The only part 
of the surface which lies below 1,000 feet is a narrow, branching 



184 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



strip which borders the Tug Fork of Big Sandy river and its 
larger tributaries in the western part of the county. This low 
land enters from the west at an elevation of about 850 feet and 
extends up the main stream as far as Clear Fork, up Dry Fork 
tp the mouth of Crane creek, up Panther and Bull creeks for a 
distance of about 2 miles and for shorter distances up the small 
tributaries that empty into the river below the mouth of Clear 
Fork, It is thus seen that almost the whole surface of the county 
lies above 1,000 feet. The elevation increases rapidly toward the 
east and large areas lie above 2,000 and 2,500 feet. At a point 
where the county's southern boundary line crosses the northern 
end of Sandj^ Eidge the elevation rises to 3,170 feet. The highest 
land is found, however, on the Great Flat Top mountain which 
rises to 3,300 feet in the extreme eastern part of the county. 

The drainage basin of the upper Tug Fork of Big Sandy 
river, with Panther creek, Dry Fork, Clear Fork and Elkhorn 
creek as its principal tributaries, lies chiefly within McDowell 
county, a small part only extending into Tazewell county, Vir- 
ginia. Elkhorn creek which rises in the eastern part of the county 
and Tug Fork, from the mouth of Elkhorn at Welch, to the Min- 
go line, both flow almost directly west and at a distance of from 
2 to 6 miles south of Indian ridge. From this high ridge, which 
forms the natural boundary between ]\IcDowell and Wyoming 
counties, numerous short streams flow rapidly into Tug Fork and 
the Elkhorn. The southern tributaries of the river are longer 
and flow with a less rapid current. 

Former Forest Conditions. 

All sections of McDowell county once contained a large 
quantity of valuable timber except the very steep river blaffs and 
the more or less narrow strips of land lying on the sandy ridges. 
It may be said that yellow poplar and white oak were the pre- 
dominant valuable hardwoods and that hemlock was the only 
softwood worthy of mention. There were many other hardwoods, 
however, that grew in merchantable quantities. Some of these 
were basswood, cucumber, vdiite ash, black walnut, sugar maple, 
red oak, chestnut oak, black oak, chestnut, hickory, beech, locust 
and sweet buckeye. Percentages of the principal timber trees 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



185 



standing on a 7,000 acre tract of virgin timber now remaining in 
the county are given approximately as follows : 



Yellow Poplar 20 per cent. 

White Oak 30 per cent. 

Eed Oak ^ 

Chestnut Oak ^„ 

Black Oak ^"^'^ P*^"- 

Scarlet Oak J 

Hemlock 20 per cent. 

Basswood ] 

Cucumber > .5 per cent. 

White Ash ) 

Hickory 

Beech 

Chestnut 

Sugar Maple 

Red Maple l*^ 15 per cent 

Sweet Buckeye 

Sycamore 

Birches and others 



Yellow poplar, white oak, red oak and some other hardwoods 
grew to an enormous size in the numerous narrow valleys and 
rich coves of McDowell county. A yellow poplar containing 
12,500 feet of good lumber was cut on Longpole creek by Hamlet 
and Strother. The quality of several of the kinds of timber grow- 
ing in this section of the state was unsurpassed. The sapwood 
was thin and the lumber clear and easily worked. 

The Early Lumber Industry. 

Comparatively little timber was destroyed in the clear- 
ings" of the early settlers. The greater part of the county re- 
mains in forest even to the present day, the improvements being 
confined mainly within narrow limits along the principal water 
courses. 

Before the completion of the Norfolk and Western railroad 
through the county in 1892, only a little timber had been cut ex- 



186 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



cept in a limited way for domestic use. This was drifted down 
the Tug river and its lower tributaries which, at that time, fur- 
nished the only means of transportation. Yery little had been 
taken even in this way east of the mouth of Clear Fork 14 miles 
below Welch. Yellow poplar which was rafted to Catlettsburg, 
Kentuck;v^, and black walnut, cut in 1886, were the principal tim- 
bers removed in this way. 

Later Lumber Operations. 

Beginning about the year 1891 W. M. Ritter, with circular 
saw mills located on Shannon branch, Browns creek and at other 
points, removed timber from nearly all the land lying on the 
north side of the railroad from Welch to Hensley. A few years 
later he leased the large mill belonging to Panther Lumber Com- 
pany then sawing timber from lands on Panther and Bull creeks. 
At the same time he bought the uncut timber belonging to the 
Company and an additional 50,000 acres lying on Panther creek 
and Dry Fork and began to operate under the firm name of The 
W. M. Ritter Lumber Company. In 1899 this company erected 
a large band mill at the mouth of Crane creek a tributary of Dry 
Fork and, in the foUow^ing year, another on Beartown creek 
about 2 miles above. These 2 mills sawed the remaining timber 
from the 50,000 acre boundary known as the Lansburgh tract. 
The lumber from these mills was taken over the Company's pri- 
vate railroad which formed a junction with the Norfolk and 
Western railroad at the mouth of Dry Fork. The lumber rail- 
road has since been acquired and extended to Berwind as a 
branch of the Norfolk and Western. W. M. Ritter. first with 
portable mills and later with the large stationary mills above re- 
ferred to, has been the largest operator in the county. 

C. L. Ritter Lumber Company operated a band mill at the 
mouth of Clear Fork of Tug river cutting most of the timber on 
that creek. 

R. E. Wood Lumber Company, beginning in 1899 with a mill 
at Sandy Huff, cut the timber from the region up Sandy Huff 
creek. 

The next large operation was that of Suddeth and Bailey 
Lumber Company. This company has sawed at Norwood, on 
Spice creek, on Jenny creek and at Shannon Branches. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



187 



Louis Carr, who operated first as Carr and McClure, later as 
Carr and Nunan, and still later as Norwood Lumber Company, 
cut timber from large tracts of land on Tug river and on Laurel 
creek, a northern tributary of Elkhom. 

Dr. W. R. laeger, as laeger and Brothers, 1892, operated a 
mill in Eoderfield at the mouth of Spice creek. Only the choicest 
timber was taken by this company. That which remained was 
afterward sawed by Suddeth and Bailey Lumber Company and 
R. E. Wood Lumber Company. 

The timber on 6,000 acres near Roderfield belonging to the 
]\IcCormick estate was cut, principally, by R. E. Wood Lumber 
Company and by R. W. Higby. 

The Longpole Lumber Company, Wyoming City, began in" 
1901 and cut over a tract lying on Pourpole, Longpole and 
Shortpole creeks. 

The Carretta Lumber Company cut the timber on Barrenshe 
creek and Reedy Spring branch. 

John R. McKinsey has been th^ principal manufacturer of 
staves. The stave industry in IMcDowell, however, has been of 
minor importance. 

In addition to the larger lumber operations named above 
numerous small mills have been located at various points through- 
out the county. These have been prominent factors in the re- 
duction of the original stand of timber. 

Water saw mills, which have flourished in their day in many 
parts of the state, seem never to have found their way into Mc- 
Dowell county. 

Present Forest Conditions. 

There are perhaps not over 15,000 acres of cleared land in 
the county. Of this the native settlers, who occupy the narrow 
valleys of creeks and rivers, own less than one half. The balance 
is owned, principally, by coal companies. ]\Iore than 95 per cent 
of the whole area must be classed as forest land. There yet re- 
main about 15,000 acres of virgin timber land. This lies, prin- 
cipally, in 2 bodies, one of about 3,000 acres on the northwestern 
side of the Dry Fork of Tug and the other of about 12,000 acres 
on the opposite side of Dry Fork along the southern edg*e of the 



188 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



county. The remaining 400,000 acres, or more, must be classed 
as cut-over forest. 

The condition of the forest land varies considerably in the 
different localities. In many places, especially along the rail- 
roads and in the vicinity of large coal operations, the condition 
of the badly burned and cut-over land is not hopeful. In other 
sections, however, there is a sufficient stand of young trees of the 
species mentioned under the head of ''Former Forest Con- 
ditions. ' ' Careful management of such areas will insure a pro- 
fitable yield within a few years. The virgin timber land and the 
best of the cut-over land lies south of a line beginning at Brad- 
shaw Station on the Dry Fork of Tug and running thence east- 
ward to the Mercer county line by the way of Gary Station on 
the Tug river and the divide between the waters of Tug river 
and Elkhorn creek. 

There are 87 coal companies in operation in the county with 
an average of 3 openings each. Practically all the timber land is 
owned by 3 or 4 of these companies. Large quantities of timber 
are required for mine props, mine ties, etc., and some of the large 
companies are purchasing their mine timbers from Virginia and 
Kentucky in order to conserve their own young growth. 

MARION COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Marion county, formed in 1842 from parts of Monongalia 
'and Harrison, is situated in the northern part of the state, 
being separated from Pennsylvania by Monongalia county and 
from Ohio by Wetzel county. Its area is 315.44 square miles or 
201,881.6 acres. 

Topography. 

Like portions of Harrison and Taylor adjoining it on the 
south the surface of much of the county is roughened by low 
hills which are easily cultivated. Toward the heads of the 
streams, however, the hills become high and steep. The rough- 
est portions are found in the western sections along the Wetzel 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



189 



line and in Winfield district in the east. The altitude of the 
county ranges from about 840 feet where the Monongahela 
river crosses the line in the northeast to a little over 2,000 feet 
in the extreme eastern corner. 

The Tygarts Valley and West Fork rivers unite a short dis- 
tance above Fairmont to form the Monongahela which flows 
northwestward into Monongalia county. The principal western 
tributaries of the Monongahela are Pawpaw creek and Buffalo 
creek, the latter with its Pyles and Davy Forks and other trib- 
utaries draining a large area in the center and west. Little 
creek and Prickett creek are the largest tributaries from the 
east. The tributaries of Tygarts Valley are small in this 
county. Booths creek, Coons creek, Tavebaugh creek and 
Little Bingamon creek are important tributaries of the West 
^Fork. 

Original Forest Conditions. 

The forests of the county were hardwood and contained 
most excellent stands of poplar, oak, walnut, ash, maple, chest- 
nut and others usually found growing with them. Softwoods 
were rarely found in any part of the county. 

The Lumber Industry. 

It is difficult at this late day to learn much in regard to 
the lumber industry in Marion county. The area has long 
been settled in most sections and the forest removed to give 
place to the cultivation of crops. 

Early settlers depended on the water saw mills for their 
lumber until the steam saw mills were introduced 30 or 40 years 
ago. Since the introduction of these portable mills most of 
the timber of the county has been cut and shipped on the rail- 
roads from Fairmont, Mannington and Farmington. Less than 
a dozen portable mills are now in operation. 

An immense quantity of timber was rafted down the Mon- 
ongahela river in the form of hewed steam-timber" and in 
the log during the period from about 1840 to 1890. During 



190 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



that time it was the occupation of a nmnbeir of lumbermen to 
buy logs in the interior and deliver them to other buyers at the 
river. Most of the rafts were taken to Pittsburg and other 
cities below. 

Present Forest Conditions. 

From 80 to 90 per cent of the county is cleared land. The 
woodland contains only a little good timber and is owned by 
farmers who hold it for domestic purposes in connection with 
their farms. In parts of Mannington and Lincoln districts, 
especially, there are woodlots of considerable size which con- 
tain valuable stands of hardwoods. 

MARSHALL COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Marshall county, situated at the base of the Northern Pan- 
handle, was formed in 1835 from part of Ohio county. Its 
area is 315.26 square miles or 201,766 acres. 

Topography. 

^'This county has long been a rich agricultural area, 
especially north of an east and west line through the mouth of 
Fish Creek. South of this line, however, the hills are higher, 
steeper and rougher, and better adapted to grazing than to 
tillage."* The hillsides facing the streams throughout the 
county are rough and steep and the valleys mostly narrow. 
jThe elevation varies from 591 feet at the Ohio river to 1590 
feet near the town of Rocklick in the eastern part. 

The Ohio river flows at the western border of the county 
for about 28 miles. This stream with its main tributaries — 
Fish creek. Grave creek and Wheeling creek — furnishes abund- 
iant drainage. 

*West Va. Geological Surv. Rep. of Marshall, Tyler, Wetzel 
Cos. p. 7. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 191 

Early Timber Conditions. 

An annotated list of some of the principal timber trees of 
the county, by Mr. S. H. Bonar of Moundsville, is given below : 
White Oak. — Abundant and of good quality. 
Yellow Poplar. — Abundant and of good quality. 
Chestnut Oak. — Plentiful on ridges. 
White Ash. — Common. 
Hick®ry. — Common. 
Chestnut. — Common. 
Beech. — Common. 
Sugar Maple. — Common. 
Locust. — Common. 
Black Walnut. — Common. 
Basswood. — Scattered growth. 
Cherry. — Scattered growth. 
Black Gum. — Scattered growth. 
Red Oak. — Scattered growth. 
White Walnut. — Scattered growth. 
Red maple. — Scattered growth. 
Hackberry. — Scattered growth. 
Sweet Buckeye. — Scattered growth. 
Ohio Buckeye. — Scattered growth. 
Sycamore.— Common along streams. 
White Ash. — Common along streams. 

Hemlock. — Scattered growth in deep hollows and on 
sandy bluffs. 

An area of virgin timber containing 1,250 acres was re- 
cently cut over which contained 12 million feet of choice oak 
and poplar. The tract produced, in addition to this, a large 
number of poles, bank props, etc. It is said that this tract was 
a fair representative of the best original forests of the county. 

The Lumber Industry. 

The lumber industry was begun in this county, as in 
others of this section of the state, by the introduction of sash 
saw mills, the larger creeks furnishing them with abundant 
water power. These mills ceased to run many years ago and 



192 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



the names of their operators are not now easy to obtain. One 
of the last sash saw mills to survive was Ly dick's mill at Glen 
Easton. This was supplied with steam power and continued 
to run until about 1876. At least 1 circular saw mill was run 
by water power. This was McCardle's mill on Upper Bowman 
run. After the more primitive mills came the portable steam 
saw mills. A few very small mills of this kind were running 
before 1876 but active operation did not begin until about that 
date. Portable mills became numerous at one time and most of 
the good timber that was standing at the time of their appear- 
ance has been sawed by them. No band mills have operated at 
any time in the county. 

Barrels were furnished by local coopers to some of the 
grist mills several years ago. One of the last of these supplied 
Loudenslager's mill at Loudensville. 

The tanneries of the county have all been small, and most 
of them operated at an early date. McConnell Brothers oper- 
ated in Moundsville up to about the year 1900. 

The lumber industry at present consists of the operations 
of about one dozen small saw mills scattered in different parts 
of the county. The various wood-working miUs at Mounds- 
ville employ over 50 men in the manufacture of handles, grain 
cradles, boxes, barrels, excelsior and numerous planing mill 
products. 

Present Timber Conditions. 

There is no woodland in the county except small bound- 
aries owned by the farmers. In the best parts the woodlots 
will not average more than 20 acres. According to those 
who are most familiar with conditions, about 60 per cent of the 
land is cleared and well cultivated ; 20 per cent is in fairly well 
timbered woodlots; and 20 per cent is growing worthless trees 
and brush. Probably the best timbered tract now remaining 
contains about 60 acres and lies on Upper Bowman run in 
Meade district. The tract contains a fine stand of excellent 
white oaks. The timber on the last large virgin area was cut 
by Peerless Lumber Company between 1900 and 1904. This 
tract — known as the Goshom tract — was situated on Maggoty 
run in Liberty district and contained about 1,250 acres. 



WEST mGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



193 



MASON COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Mason county lies on the Ohio river south and west of Jack- 
son and north of Cahell. It was formed in 1804 from part of 
Kanawha county. Its area is 449.27 square miles or 287,532.8 
acres. 

Topography. 

The hills of the county are low and the slopes gentle, es- 
pecially in the region embraced in the northwest by the Ohio and 
the G^reat Kanawha rivers. In the territory farthest back from 
the rivers the hills rise in some places to an elevation of a little 
more than 1,000 feet and the slopes are rough and steep. The 
bottoms of the Ohio and Great Kanawha rivers are wide in near- 
ly all places in the county and comprise an area of over 50,000 
acres. 

The county is well drained by the Ohio and Great Kanawha 
rivers, the former separating it from Ohio on the north and west, 
and the latter flowing in a northwest course and emptying into 
the Ohio at Point Pleasant. The principal tributaries of the 
Ohio south of Point Pleasant are Guyan creek, Eighteenmile 
creek, Sixteenmile creek and Crab creek; those north of Point 
Pleasant are Oldtown creek, Mill creek, Tenmile creek, Sliding 
Hill creek, Broad creek and West creek. The principal tribu- 
taries of the Great Kanawha, named from its mouth to the 
Putnam county line, are Crooked creek, Threemile creek. Five- 
mile creek, Ninemile creek, Tenmile creek, Thirteenmile creek, 
Little Sixteenmile creek and Sixteenmile creek. 

Original Timber Conditions. 

The tree growth in the rich valleys of the two large rivers 
of the county, and the growth of all manner of plant life, was 
exceedingly luxuriant. According to Mr. John McCuUoch, of 
Point Pleasant, grape vines often grew to such enormous size 
that some of them were split into rails for fencing; and the 
13 



194 



\ 

CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



poplars, oaks, black walniits, wild cherries, hickories, and many 
others attained a size that was rarely reached in other parts of 
the state. The remarkable growth of timber in this region 
attracted the attention of early explorers. Christopher Gist, 
who was sent out from Virginia as an exploring agent of the 
Ohio Company, visited the Mason county area in 1751 and 
again in 1752. Under date of February 24th, 1751, — ^while 
encamped in the Ohio river valley some miles above the mouth 
of the Great Kanawha — this explorer made the following entry 
in his journal: "The bottoms about 1}4 miles wide, full of 
lofty timber." On February 20th, 1752, he speaks of the 
Great Kanawha bottoms near the mouth of Thirteenmil'e 
creek, as *'fine land" and as being "very rich." Again on 
February 23rd, he refers to the Ohio river valley a few miles 
above Point Pleasant as "fine rich land, the bottoms about a 
mile wide." It will be understood that the expressions "very 
rich", and the like, carried with them the idea of good timber, 
for in the days of extensive forests, the trees furnished the 
b^t indication of the fertility of the soil. 

On the 30th day of October, 1770, George Washington and 
party were at Letart Falls, on the Ohio river. He describes 
the apearance of the country as follows: 

"* * *, We landed, and after getting a little distance 
from the river, we came, without resting, to a pretty lively 
kind of land, grown up with hickory and oak of different 
kinds, intermingled with walnut." 

On October 31st he says: sent the canoe down 

jabout five miles, to the junction of the two rivers, that is, the 
Kanawha with the Ohio, and set out with a hunting party to 
view the land. *********." Two days later the party 
encamped on the Great Kanawha at the mouth of Sixteenmile 
creek. At this place he wrote: "Some of our people went up 
the river four or five miles higher. * * * As you approach 
the hills, you come to a thin white oak land, and poor. The 
hills, as far as we could judge, were from half a mile to a 
mile from the river, poor and steep in the parts we saw, with 
pine growing on them. * * 

On November 3rd, he says: "We set off down the river, 
on our return homewards, and encamped at the mouth. At 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



195 



the beginning of the bottom, above the junction of the rivers, 
and at the mouth of the branch of the east side, I marked 
two maples, an elm, and a hoop-wood tree, as a corner of 
soldiers' land, if we can get it, intending to take all the bottom 
from hence to the rapids in the Great Bend in one survey. I 
also marked at the mouth of another run, lower down the west 
side, and at the lower end of the long bottom, an ash and hoop- 
wood tree, for the beginning of another of the soldiers' surveys, 
to extend up so as to include all the bottom in a body on the 
west side. In coming from our last encampment up the 
Kanawha, I endeavored to take the courses and distances of the 
river by my pocket compass, and by guessing. * * No- 
vember 4th: Just as we came to the hills, 
we met with a syacmore about sixty yards from the river, of a 
most extraordinary size; it measuring three feet from the 
ground, forty-five feet around, lacking two inches; and not 
fifty yards from it was another, thirty-one feet round. * * * * 
,* * * *M ^^^ovember 5th: TJie growth in most 
places, beech intermixed with walnut, but more especially with 
poplar, of which there are numbers very large. The land 
toward the upper end is a black oak, and very good. 

Ten different kinds of trees are referred to in the above 
quotations from Washington's journal, and the two distinct 
types of land — ^the rich valley and the poor hill land, — are de- 
scribed according to the forest growth that each produced. 

In answer to an inquiry concerning original timber con- 
ditions, etc., in Mason county, Hon. Virgil A. Lewis, State His- 
torian and Archivist, gives the following interesting account: 

**I remember something of the forest conditions in Mason 
county fifty years ago, that is to say, about the beginning of 
the Civil War. The entire county was a remarkable forest 
region. At that time there were clearings" or improve- 
ments" throughout all the hill country. Along the two rivers, 
Ohio and Great Kanawha, the county has a frontage of ninety- 
two miles; and it may be said that there are about ninety- two 
square miles of level bottom land. This was then, as now, the 
chief agricultural region of the county; but there were still 
magnificent forest preserves belonging to large estates along 



196 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



both rivers. Over them grew gigantic poplars, walnuts, and 
wild cherries, with lofty hickories and with oaks of various 
kinds, including the famed Spanish oak, some of which were 
five feet in diameter. Over the whole region were forests of 
square miles in extent which had scarcely been reached by the 
woodsman's axe. Here grew the sugar maples in dense groves, 
and the spring of the year was the happy sugar-making time 
when thousands of pounds of maple sugar were made and 
shipped to various points. In the early days many hundreds 
of bird's-eye poplars (then called "cat-faced poplars") were 
felled and roUed into the streams to be floated away or put in 
heaps and burned in the "clearings" then being opened. 
Many of the finest trees were used in the building of "worm 
fences." The ordinary "rail cut" from which the rails were 
split was usually eleven feet in length. Oak and poplar, and 
even walnut trees were used for this purpose. I yet remember 
how readily the walnut "cuts" split and how many hundreds 
of panels of fence were built of this valuable wood. 

' ' I have no doubt, if the present value of lumber should be 
placed upon the timber burned in the "clearings" in Mason 
county, on the hills, along the streams and on the bottoms, from 
the coming of the first white man in 1774 down to the year 
1860, that it would aggregate many millions of dollars. ' ' 

A two story house once built near the present town of 
Ashton was constructed, almost entirely, of walnut logs. The 
house was in a remarkably good state of preservation when it 
(burned a few years ago. 

The Lumber Industry. 

The destruction of timber by early settlers is mentioned in 
the foregoing paragraphs. During the period when the forests 
were being opened there were here and there the old water- 
power saw mills, which manufactured lumber for flooring in 
the log houses. About the year 1860 the water power was re- 
placed by steam power and a large number of mills — still 
using the upright saws — were put in operation in the hill sec- 
tions. This now became a leading industry in the years im- 
mediately after the war. Circular saw mills were introduced 



Photo by A D. IIopki,ts. 
SECOND-GROWTH CHESTNUTS. MONOGALIA COUNTY. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 197 

soon after this and remained until the timber was practically 
exhausted. Most of the mills were small. At Point Pleasant 
and at some other places, however, there were larger opera- 
tions. Comstock's mill operated at Point Pleasant in the 
sixties. This was succeeded by Benedict's mill, and this by 
Sehon's mill, the last to manufacture in quantities for ship- 
ment. 

Much of the timber floated on the Ohio and Great 
Kanawha was manufactured on local stationary mills. Con- 
siderable good oak was rafted to Cincinnati and Louisville for 
ship building purposes, and some was used about the year 1860 
by shipbuilders from Maine in the manufacture at Point 
Pleasant of several coasting vessels. 

The present lumber industry consists of the work of two 
or three small portable saw mills, a planing mill or two, and 
the boat works at Point Pleasant. 

Present Forest Conditions. 

Perhaps the largest good tract of timber remaining in the 
county is on the Steinbergen farm near Point Pleasant. The 
tract contains 200 acres of practically virgin hardwood. A 
few farmers in different parts of the county have reserved and 
protected small boundaries of fairly good timber. In nearly 
all cases, however, the woodlots contain only a remnant of the 
original stand. 

MERCER COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Mercer county was formed in 1837 from parts of Giles and 
Tazewell. It lies on the southern border of the state east of Mc- 
Dowell, Wyoming and Raleigh and south of Raleigh and Sum- 
mers. Its area is 368 square miles or 135,520 acres. 

Topography. 

Nearly all the surface of the county lies above 2,000 feet, 
and not a little, above 2,500 and 3,000 feet. The southern bound- 
ary line follows the crest of East River mountain at an elevation 



198 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



of about 3,500 feet for 25 miles. At one place in this distance 
the mountain rises to 4,109 feet, the highest point in the county. 
The west and northwest boundary line follows Flat Top 
mountain, the watershed separating Bluestone waters from those 
of Elkhorn creek and Guyandot river. The slope of the land, 
then, is toward the interior of the county and northeastward 
with the course of the principal streams. East river and 
Bluestone river cross the county line at about the same level, 
1,500 feet, the two lowest points of land. The surface of most 
of the county is comparatively smooth. 

Bluestone river and East river, both tributaries of the New, 
are the principal streams of the county. The former rises in 
Tazewell county, Virginia, and flows northeastward through the 
center of Mercer. The latter rises near Bluefield in the southern 
part of the county and flows in the same general direction at a 
distance of 1 to 3 miles northwest from the crest of East river 
mountain. Lick creek and Island creek, two small streams 
which empty into the New mid'way between the mouths of the 
two rivers named above, drain a small territory in the north- 
eastern part of the county. The largest tributaries of East 
river are Pivemile and Twelvemile creeks. Those of Blue- 
stone river are Mountain, Laurel, Camp, Wolf, Rich, Wide 
Mouth and Crane creeks flowing from the northwest, and 
Brush, Black Lick and Lorton Lick creeks from the southeast. 

The Original Forests. 

There is little left to show the character of the original 
forests of the southern half of the county. But, judging from 
the few isolated areas of virgin forest still left, and from the 
statements of old residents in that section, it is certain that the 
region once abounded in the choicest of hardwoods. The lime- 
stone land, especially, in East River and Beaver Pond districts, 
produced large numbers of excellent white oaks, yellow poplars 
and others, usually associated with them. On the high crests 
of East River mountain and on Stony and Red Oak ridges, 
such timbers as chestnut oak, small white oak, basswood and 
pitch pine predominated. The softwoods of the southern half 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



199 



of the county were white and pitch pine and hemlock. These, 
however, have not grown there in large numbers. 

The northern half of the comity has produced not only 
the hardwoods common to this section of the state but large 
quantities of softwood as well. Of the softwoods white pine 
and hemlock have been the chief valuable species. The white 
pine belt lies along the southeastern side of Bluestone river 
(from a point about 2 miles above Spanishburg to near the 
mouth of the river in Summers county. Northwestward from 
the Bluestone there is a scattered growth of white pine which 
joins the white pine area of Ealeigh county. Below are given 
the approximate percentages of timbers growing on an 8,000 
acre virgin tract in the white pine belt: 

White Pine 60 per cent. ^ 

White Oak 25 per cent. 

Hemlock 5 per cent . 

Yellow Poplar 5 per cent. 



Most of the timber has been cut in the southern part of the 
county by a large number of portable mills. These began to 
operate about the year 1882 when the Norfolk and Western rail- 
road was built, and have continued to the present. A few mills 
were running before that date but their small output was used 
for domestic purposes. As late as 1897 there were but 2 saw 
mills running in Rock district and not a stave had been cut 
along the Bluestone river. A little timber was taken from the 
northern end of the county by the William James Sons Com- 
pany and sawed at Hinton about 1880; but active operations 
have continued for only the past 13 years. The L. B. Farley 
and the Beckwith stave mills, with the help of 2 or 3 smaller 
mills, have cut not fewer than 50,000,000 staves since 1897. 
The best of the white oak in Rock district, and some in Ply- 
mouth and Jumping Branch districts, has been manufactured 
into staves. The streams of the county will not admit of ex- 



Chestnut 

Hickory and others 




The Lumber Industry. 



200 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



tensive rafting or drifting and, up to 1908, no lumber had 
been sawed for commercial purposes except by portable mills. 

The cross-tie industry has been large during the past few 
years especially along the railroads. 

Two shingle mills manufactured white pine shingles in 
Plymouth district from 1902 to 1908. 

Estimating from the- large number of saw and stave mills 
in the county, the remnant of timber will soon be cut. There 
are now 35 portable saw and stave mills and 1 band mill in op- 
eration. These have a combined capacity of about 230,000 feet 
per day or over 70 million feet per year. The company owning 
the band mill has a supply of white pine and other timbers that 
wiU last for about 12 years. Before the expiration of that time 
the smaller mills will have cut all the available timber scattered 
in other parts of the county. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

There are 18,700 acres of virgin forest remaining in the 
county, and 5,000 acres of cut-over forest. This lies, almost en- 
tirely, in Jumping Branch, Plymouth and Rock districts on the 
waters of Bluestone river, Laurel creek, Rich creek, Wolf creek 
and Camp creek. There is but little in any other part of the 
county. The farmers of the southern districts have woodlots of 
considerable extent but with scarcely any merchantable timber. 
Those of the northern districts, in some cases, have a fairly good 
stand of valuable timber. The southern end of Rock district in 
the western part of the county is owned by coal companies which 
are already in need of more timber than their lands supply. 
Some companies, owning timber now large enough for mine ties, 
are making purchases from the outside in order that their own 
may grow to maturity. 

MINERAL COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Mineral county, formed in 1866 from part of Hampshire, 
is suituated in the eastern part of the state and is bounded on 
the west and north by Maryland, on the east by Hampshire 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 201 

county, and on the south by Grant county. Its area is 332 
square miles or 212,480 acres. 

Topography. 

The surface of Mineral is somewhat similar to that of Grant 
county, just south of it. In the west the main ridge of 
the Alleghanies traverses the county from northeast to south- 
west, with New Creek and Knobly mountains running parallel 
a few miles farther east. West of the crest of the Alleghanies 
is the plateau region, from 5 to 7 miles wide in the south and 
narrowing to a point farther north. The eastern half of the 
county is occupied by the low, rounded foothills of the Alle- 
ghanies and by the bottom lands lying within the drainage 
basin of Patterson creek. East of this the surface rises to the 
dividing ridge between Patterson creek and the South Branch 
which is followed by the Mineral-Hampshire boundary line. 
The range of elevation in the county is from 550 feet along the 
North Branch, from the mouth of Patterson creek to the Hamp- 
shire line, up to 3,327 feet at the summit of Pinnacle knob in 
the Alleghanies. 

All the drainage is to the North Branch of the Potomac, 
which forms a very irregular line separating the county from 
Maryland on the northwest. The two important tributaries of 
this river in Mineral are Patterson creek, flowing through the 
eastern part, and New creek flowing between the Alleghany 
and New creek mountains and emptying at Keyser. 

Original Forest Conditions. 

The timber in this county did not differ materially from 
that of Grant and other adjacent counties. Hardwoods grew 
abundantly in the rich valley and cove lands and a mixed 
growth of hardwoods and softwoods could be found on the hills 
and mountains. Chestnut oak was very plentiful on low ridges, 
especially on Elnobly mountains, growing in some places in al- 
most pure stands or mixed with other hardwoods or with pitch, 
yellow and scrub pines. 



202 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



The Lumber Industry. 

Small, portable saw mills have cut practically all of the 
timber of the Patterson creek basin that has been removed up 
to the present time, excepting that which was destroyed by 
farmers during the period of early settlement. The timber of 
the mountainous sections escaped most of the destruction by 
early settlers. The large area of virgin forest in these sections 
was not entered by lumbermen to any extent until after the 
building of the Western Maryland railroad, in about 1885, along 
the North Branch of Potomac. After the forests of the western 
part of the county became accessible a great many large mills 
were put in operation. Some of these that have now gone were 
the Watson Company at Barnum, Hench, Dromjold and Shull 
at Shaw, Billmyre at the mouth of Stony river, and the Whit- 
mers at Emory. There were other large mills located at Atlan- 
tic, Harriman and other points, and numerous smaller ones 
were operated in the interior. 

At present, there are about 20 saw mills running, many of 
which are small and saw irregularly. Traction engines, used 
in many of the smaller operations, are frequently put on the 
road for hauling lumber, cross-ties and tan-bark to the railroad. 

Present Forest Conditions. 

There are now no virgin forest areas in the county except 
those that are of very small size. The cut-over lands, scattered 
along the North Branch and on the mountain ridges, have a 
combined area of about 7,000 acres. The percentage of wood- 
land in Welton, Cabin Creek and Frankfo:rt districts is very 
low; but in Elk, New Creek and Piedmont, there is a high per- 
centage of timberland, most of which has been closely culled 
and burned. Some of the best timber that now remains is to 
be found in the farmers' woodlots. 



WEST VIRGINIA' GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



203 



MINGO COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Mingo, the newest coiinty of West Virginia, was formed 
from the southern end of Logan in 1895. Its position is along 
the southern border between McDowell on the southeast, and 
Wayne on the northwest. Area, 424 square miles or 271,360 
acres. 

Topography. 

The lowest portion of the county is found along the Tug 
Fork of Big Sandy river which forms the southern boundary 
line for 60 miles. The elevation of the river is about 800 feet 
where it crosses the McDowell line and 575 feet at the southwest 
corner of the county. The northern, or northeastern, boundary 
line follows the Guyandot-Tug Fork watershed at an average 
elevation of a little less than 2,000 feet. From this long divid- 
ing ridge the land surface, broken by rough and irregular 
hills, slopes southwestward to the low land of Tug Fork, and, 
in the eastern end, to the Guyandot river. The highest point 
of land, 2,500 feet, is located near the head of Horsepen Fork, 
a tributary of the Guyandot. 

All of Mingo county, except a part of Stafford district, in 
the eastern end, and a part of Harvey district in the north- 
western end, lies on the southward slope of the Tug Fork drain- 
age basin. The Guyandot river forms the eastern line for a 
distance of about 3 miles and then turns northward through 
fthe county in such a course as to leave about 10,000 acres on 
its eastern side. This river's principal tributaries here are 
Horsepen Fork, Brown's Fork and Leatherwood creek. The 
chief tributaries of the Tug Fork within, or partly within, the 
county are Jennie creek. Marrowbone creek. Pigeon creek and 
Mate creek. The Right and Left Forks of Twelvepole creek 
drain an area of considerable extent in the northwest. 



204 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



The Original Forests. 

That part of Logan county which is now Mingo was once 
heavily timbered with hardwoods. Just as in many other coun- 
(Mes of the State white oak and yellow poplar were the most 
abundant of the valuable species. The less abundant valuable 
timber trees were black walnut, basswood, chestnut, red oak, 
black oak, chestnut oak, hickory, sugar and red maple, yellow 
and sweet birch, sycamore, sweet buckeye, white elm, slippery 
elm, hemlock, and others. Softwoods were not plentiful in any 
section. Hemlock grew sparingly along the streams and a few 
pitch pines on the dry ridges. 

The Early Lumber Industry. 

Much of the best timber had been taken from this area be- 
fore it became Mingo county. The yellow poplar, black walnut 
and other timbers were rafted out on the Tug Fork and the 
Guyandot rivers. Large numbers of rafts were taken by the 
citizens to Catlettsburg and Ashland, Kentucky, and to Iron- 
ton, Ohio. The remainder was taken by lumbermen. The 
largest rafters have been The Yellow Poplar Lumber Com- 
pany, Portsmouth, Ohio; The Little Kanawha Lumber Com- 
pany, Ironton, Ohio ; and C. Crane and Company, Cincinnati, 
Ohio. The first 2 companies named rafted logs and manufac- 
tured them on their mills from 1892 to 1899. C. Crane and 
Company began a little later and are still cutting timber taken 
from the southern counties on 3 band mills located in Cincin- 
nati. During the past 30 years great numbers of logs have been 
rafted out of Pigeon creek to Catlettsburg by W. J. William- 
son. 

There were only a few saw mills in the county before the 
building of the Norfolk and Western Railroad. Since that 
time they have been numerous. The following were large 
operations : 

Baker Lumber Company, with a band mill at Sad's Land- 
ing, sawed in 1895 and 1896. 

Hutchinson Lumber and Manufacturing Company cut tim- 
ber on Marrowbone and Laurel creeks from 1903 to 1907. 




Photo hy A. D. Hopkins. 
NATURAL REPRODUCTION OF YELLOW POPLAR LX CUT-OVER FOREST, 
MONONGALIA COUNTY. 



WEST VffiGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



205 



The Present Lumber Industry. 

The large operations at present are Prendergast Lumber 
Company, cutting with a band mill on Laurel creek, a tributary 
of Pigeon creek, and on Right Fork of Twelvepole creek, and 
J. S. Walker Lumber Company of Okeeffe. Besides these there 
are 7 smaller mills running. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

There are, approximately, 8,200 acres of virgin forest in 
the county. Two thousand acres of this lies near the head of 
Brown's Fork of Guyandot, 1,500 acres lies on waters of Pigeon 
creek, and the remainder on waters of Twelvepole creek. The 
land owned and occupied by native settlers lies principally in 
narrow strips along the water courses. Not over 5 per cent of 
the land in the county is cleared and not over 35 or 40 per 
cent is held in fee by resident owners. There are about 200,000 
acres of cut-over forest land owned by coal companies and 
other non-residents. 

The virgin forest areas have a remarkably good stand of 
hardwoods, and a large percentage of the cut-over land has 
some merchantable timber left. None of the hickory, beech, 
birch and maple has been cut and in some sections, as on Mar- 
rowbone creek, Trace and Elk Forks of Pigeon creek. Left Fork 
of Twelvepole creek and in the region east of Guyandot river, 
there is a fair stand of medium and small white oaks, yellow 
poplars, and others, of the more valuable kinds of timber. It 
may be said of the forest land that 50 per cent has a varjdng 
stand of timber 18 inches and under; 25 per cent has a stand 
of 12 inches and under; 15 per cent has a stand of 20 inches 
and under; and 10 per cent has a stand of 24 inches and 
under. The cut-over areas will estimate about 2,000 feet per 
acre of all species. 

Except in coal mining sections and in parts frequently 
visited by forest fires the cut-over lands are in prime condition 
and the young timber is making a rapid and healthy growth. 



206 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 

MONONGALIA COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Monongalia was formed from the District of West Au- 
gusta in the year 1776 and is the third oldest county in the 
State. It lies south of Pennsylvania, west of Preston county, 
north of Taylor and Marion, and east of Marion and Wetzel 
counties. Its area is 366.52 square miles or 234,572.8 acres. 

Topography. 

The surface configuaration of the different parts of the 
county varies greatly. On the east the Cheat river flows at the 
bottom of a deep canon, in some places cut to a depth of 1,000 
to 1,500 feet below the mountains on each side, and the whole 
region is rough and mountainous. The mountains lying on both 
sides of the Cheat river rise to elevations ranging from 1,500 
feet up to 2,639 feet. Cheat View, a much visited mountain on 
the west side of the river, has an elevation of 2,212 feet; and 2 
miles south of it a mountain rises to 2,290 feet. The smoothest 
land of the county is found in portions of Grant and Cass dis- 
tricts and the northern end of Clay district on the west side of 
the Monongahela, and in some sections of Clinton district on 
the east side. In Battelle district and also in portions of Clay 
district, in the western end of the county, the land is rougher. 
The bottom lands along the streams of the county are narrow 
except those of Dunkard creek below Pentress and those found 
in a very few places along the Monongahela river. 

The whole county lies in the drainage basin of the Monon- 
gahela and Cheat rivers. Battelle and Clay districts and a small 
area in the northern end of Cass district are drained by the 
headwaters of Dunkard creek, a western tributary of the Mo- 
nongahela. Other western tributaries of the IMonongahela are 
Robinson rui\, Scott run, Dents run, and Indian creek. Its 
principal eastern tributaries are Cheat river, which empties at 
Point Marion in the edge of Pennsylvania, and West run, 
Deckers creek, Cobun creek and Booths creek. The tributa- 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



207 



ries of the Cheat river in the county are very small, the largest 
being Morgan run and Quarry run which flow in from the 
mountains on the east. 

Original Forest Conditions. 

The original forests of the county were essentially hard- 
wood, including almost every species common to the hilly part 
of the State. Oak, poplar, chestnut, beech, maple and walnut 
are listed by some as the principal timber trees. There were in 
addition to these, however, many others of considerable com- 
mercial importance. The wood specimens exhibited at the Cen- 
tennial Exhibition in 1876 and furnished by Fairchild, Law- 
head and Company and by Walter Mestrezat, of Llorgantown, 
were cedar, white walnut, black walnut, white oak, sugar maple, 
hickory, poplar, locust, black cherry, white ash, linden and 
chestnut. Other common' hardwoods were honey locust, syca- 
more, slippery elm, white elm, hackberry, sweet buckeye and 
red maple. Hemlock grew plentifully in some sections in the 
Cheat river basin and to some extent in the deep channels of 
Deckers creek and other tributaries on both sides of the Monon- 
gahela. Red cedar, scrub pine, pitch pine and white pine grew 
sparingly in some sections. Scrub pine still grows in pure 
stand on several acres near Dellslow on Deckers creek, and a 
few white pines are still growing near the mouth of Cobun 
creek. 

The Lumber Industry. 

Much of the best timber, particularly on the west side 
of the Monongahela river, was destroyed during the period of 
early settlement in the clearings made by farmers. The only 
lumber used by the pioneers was manufactured on water saw 
mills or by hand. All of the old saw mills have long ago been 
abandoned and their locations and owners in many cases have 
been forgotten. A list of the industries in existence in 1835 
includes 6 saw mills, 10 cabinet shops, 2 chair shops, 4 wheel- 
wright shops, 2 wagon-maker's shops and 2 tan yards. A list 
dated 1860 gives 7 saw mills and one of 1870 lists only 3 saw 
mills. 



208 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



John Shisler commenced wagon-making in Morgantown 
as early as 1802; and 3 years later Kern's carriage shops were 
built. Fairchild, Lawhead and Company built extensive car- 
riage works in 1851. 

Robert P. Hennen and Edward Price were manufacturers 
of furniture, the former as early as 1840 and the latter some 
years after. 

Before the railroads were built the Monongahela and Cheat 
rivers furnished the only practical means for the transporta- 
tion of lumber and logs. The first logs that were cut and sold 
in the county were floated in rafts on the former river. It is 
not known in what year rafting began on the river nor who 
engaged at first in this industry. It is certain, however, that 
an enormous quantity of timber went out in this way. It is 
said that fleets of logs could be seen almost any time, especially 
during high water, for many years after the close of the Civil 
War. A number of the citizens of the county were interested 
25 years ago in buying and selling logs that were delivered in 
rafts to Brownsville and other points below. Some of the men 
who engaged in rafting logs in later years were Geo. W. John- 
son, Thornton Pickenpaugh, John W, Corrothers, '*Gus" Bar- 
ker, Simon W. Boyers, and J. W. Holland. The three men last 
named have continued their work, to some extent, almost if not 
quite to the present time. John and Henry Sidwell and others 
ran logs on the Cheat river from the Beaver Hole at the Pres- 
ton line and from other points below. Logs, both hewed and 
round, were often hauled for a distance of several miles on 
heavy trucks and rafted at the Monongahela river. Samuel T. 
Wiley, author of the ''History of Monongalia Comity," 
states that "In 1876 it was estimated that $50,000 worth of 
timber in logs was floated down the Monongahela river from 
Monongalia and Harrison counties." 

Practically all the commercial sawing of lumber in the 
county has been done by portable steam saw mills. These came 
in about the year I860, though a few were in operation before 
that time. With the building of the railroad in 1885 these 
mills became more numerous and have continued to operate in 
va,rying numbers to the present time. 

The tan-bark peeled before the coming of the railroads was 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



209 



used in local tanneries. Since then a large quantity has been 
hauled on wagons and shipped from Morgantown, Uffington, 
Little Falls, and other points on the Baltimore and Ohio and 
the Morgantown and Kingwood railroads. U. L. Griffith, T. 
Bennett, and Phillips and Lemmon have been among the lead- 
ing buyers of tan-bark. 

There has been a large cross-tie industry for many years. 
Hewed ties were first shipped on the river in barges; and in 
later years a great many have been hewed and sawed and hauled 
to the railroad from every part of the county. 

Most of the best black walnut was bought and shipped in 
the log several years ago. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

Areas of virgin forest aggregating about 7,600 acres still 
remain on the waters of Cheat river and Deckers creek in the 
eastern end of the county. The principal tract, containing ap- 
proximately 5,000 acres, lies on the east of Cheat river and ad- 
joins the forests of Preston county. Several hundred acres of 
virgin forest which is not heavily timbered lies on the steep 
faces of the Cheat river mountains, and areas of less extent lie 
on the hills on both sides of Deckers creek. The cut-over for- 
ests, containing about 11,000 acres, also lie in the same region. 

The remainder of the county is divided up into farms 
which are partly cleared and partly wooded. As a rule the 
farmers' woodlots have but little timber. 

MONROE COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Monroe county was formed in the year 1799 from a part 
of Greenbrier. It is situated on the southern border of the 
state and has an area of 464 square miles or 296,960 acres. 

Topography. 

The county is traversed by 4 parallel mountains run- 
ning northeast and southwest. The principal one of these is 
iPeters mountain — a long and s;sTQmetrical mountain ridgCj 
forming for many miles the natural boundary line between 
14 



210 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Monroe county and Virginia. At one point toward the northern 
end of the county the line crosses from the summit of Peters 
mountain to the summit of Potts mountain, following the lat- 
ter southward for some distance and again crossing to the for- 
mer mountain. Just westward from Peters mountain, and 
separated from it by a narrow and fertile valley, is Gap moun- 
tain, extending from about 3 miles south of Gap Mills to a 
point in Virginia a short distance north of the county line. 
Middle mountain lies close on the west of Gap mountain and 
is about equal to it in length and elevation. The fourth of the 
parallel ridges is Cove mountain, a short southern extension of 
the main Alleghany range. Lesser ridges and mountain spurs 
in the eastern and northern parts of the county are known as 
Eads ridge, White Rock mountain, Kates mountain and Little 
mountain. Swopes Knobs, Wolf Creek mountain, and other 
more irregular elevations rise in the west-central and western 
sections. 

Large areas in the northern, central and southern parts of 
the county are occupied by elevated and gently rolling plateaus. 
The smooth outlines of these rich and luxuriant limestone 
areas contrast sharply with the steep and stony mountain ridges 
on the east, and form numerous landscapes of unusual interest 
and beauty. 

The Greenbrier river touches the northwestern corner of 
the county and the New river the southwestern corner, each 
forming the natural boundry line for a short distance. These two 
rivers receive all the waters of the county except that from a small 
area in the east. The largest tributary of the Greenbrier here 
is Second creek. Wolf creek, Kellys creek and Groomer creek 
are some of its smaller branches. Indian creek, Rich creek and 
Sinking Lick creek are the principal tributaries of the New. 
Potts creek, a tributary of the James river, flows northeast be- 
tween Potts and Peters mountains; and Sweet Spring creek. 
Cove creek and Back creek, tributaries also of the James river 
through Dunlap creek, drain in part the three parallel valleys 
west of Peters mountain. Thus it is seen that the waters of 
Monroe county reach the Gulf of Mexico through the Great 
Kanawha, the Ohio and the Mississippi rivers, and the Atlantic 
ocean through the James river. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



211 



Original Timber Conditions. 

The difference between the original tree growth of the 
mountains and that of the limestone uplands was as marked as 
the variation in the surface itself. The characteristic trees of 
the limestone areas were white oak, red oak, black oak, sugar 
maple, black walnut, shellbark hickory^ wild cherry, poplar, 
basswood and cucumber; while those of the mountains which 
rise on the east were scrubby chestnut oak and pitch pine. 
Hardwoods grew exclusively on the northwestern faces of both 
Peters mountain and Potts mountain, but on their southeastern 
faces and on both sides of Gap mountain. Middle mountain and 
Cove mountain softwoods, such as pitch pines and a few white 
and scrub pines, grew in pure stands or mixed with various 
species of hardwoods. Hemlocks and the pines once formed a 
fringe around the hardwood forests of the limestone lands, and 
grew in considerable abundance along Second creek and other 
streams which descend to the Greenbrier and the New rivers. 

A writer on the natural resources of West Virginia has 
said that ''Monroe was never a well timbered county." This is 
true so far as the mountainous sections were concerned; but an 
examination of a number of practically virgin woodlots, scat- 
tered from Sinks Grove to Gap Mills, has shown that the state- 
ment would not have applied to the forests that once stood on 
the limestone areas. Mr. C. P. Lewis, the present county sur- 
veyor of Monroe, for many years familiar with every section 
of the county, asserts that there was once a very fine stand of 
timber growing on the extensive and fertile uplands, and that 
there are still some single acres of virgin forest owned by the 
farmers from which 25,000 feet of white oak could be cut. 

The Lumber Industry. 

In considering the destruction and utilization of the tim- 
ber of the county we may divide the time into two periods : the 
first extending from the year 1750, the approximate date of 
the earliest settlement, to the year 1880; and the second ex- 
tending from 1880 to the present. The first may be called a 
period of home consumption. The parts of the county settled 



212 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



earliest were in the vicinities of Sweet Spring, Union and Sec- 
ond Creek. From these centers settlements spread in all direc- 
tions, and before timber had become commercially valuable^ a 
large proportion of it had been destroyed in the process of 
clearing the land. Small amounts of lumber were used in the 
early days in the construction of dwellings, out-buildings, 
fences, etc. This was manufactured chiefly by hand and by the 
rude water saw mills, several of which were located on Second 
creek and other streams of the county. According to Joseph 
Martin, author of the ''Gazetteer of Virginia and the District 
of Columbia", there was one steam saw mill running in 1835. 
No extensive sawing was done by steam, however, until a much 
later date. 

About the year 1870 buyers came in and took out black 
walnut, cherry and poplar logs from many, sections, hauling 
them for shipment to Eonceverte, Fort Spring and Alderson 
on the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad. In later years large oaks 
also have been bought along with the other timbers mentioned. 

Since 1880 there has been a more or less active commercial 
lumber industry in the county. There were but few saw mills 
in the county before 1890, however, and not a large number 
until after the year 1900. For the past 10 years there have 
been operations in almost every section, the 25 or 30 small 
portable mills cutting "sets" wherever a few thousand feet 
could be brought together. Lumber from these small mills has 
been hauled on wagons to various stations on the Chesapeake 
and Ohio, the Norfolk and Western and the Virginian railroads. 

As a rule the farmers have conducted their part of the - 
lumber industry in an economical manner, allowing the young 
and vigorous trees to be cut only from the land that they were 
soon to clear for cultivation. From the saw mill operator's 
standpoint the industry has been somewhat wasteful as, in ad- 
dition to the usual waste of circular mills, they have not had 
the facilities for utilizing their valuable slabs and other so- 
called waste materials. 

Among the larger operations that have cut timber in the 
county were the St. Lawrence Boom and Manufacturing Com- 
pany, with a large band mill at Ronceverte and the Crimson 



WEST VIRGINIxi GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



213 



Springs Lumber company located some distance south of Union, 
in Monroe county. 

A. Knabb and Company and others have carried on an ex- 
tensive stave industry in several sections. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

An area of nearly 30,000 acres of virgin forest still remains 
in the county. This includes a long, narrow belt of about 10,000 
acres lying on the summit of Peters mountain; a large tract in 
the portion of the county east of Peters mountain, and several 
smaller areas scattered throughout other mountainous sections. 
The 14,600 acres of cut-over forests lie for the most part on the 
ridges west of Peters mountain. The character of the timbers 
growing in the different situations has been mentioned under 
another head, as has also the stand of trees remaining on some 
of the woodlots of the interior. 

Mr. John L. Rowan and Prof. A, S. Johnston, of Union, 
Monroe county, approximate the area of cleared land at 35 per 
cent and state that the farmers' woodlots, particularly those 
in the limestone belt, are in a flourishing condition, having a 
stand of 3,000 to 4,000 feet of good hardwoods. Mr. W. A. 
Pedigo, formerly of the Crimson Springs Lumber Company, 
has recently estimated the present stand of timber in the county 
at 300 million feet. 

Not far from 20 per cent of the land in Monroe county is 
absolutely unfit for cultivation. These non-agricultural areas 
are largely overgrown with undesirable species of trees and 
shrubs. The occupation of this land by locusts and other valua- 
ble and fast-growing species should be encouraged in every 
possible way. 

MORGAN COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Morgan county was formed in 1820 from parts of Berkeley 
and Hampshire. It is located in the Eastern Panhandle and 
has an area of 235 square miles or 150,4£)0 acres. 



214 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Topography. 

The surface of the county is ridged with long, and not 
greatly elevated mountains, lying several miles eastward from 
the main crest of the Alleghanies and conforming^ in general, 
to the trend of the Appalachian System. The principal moun- 
tains are named and described below: Sleepy Creek mountain 
forms the natural boundary between Morgan and Berkeley 
counties and has an elevation of 1,800 feet. This mountain ex- 
tends unbroken for about 18 miles from the southeastern corner 
of the county. Cacapon mountain extends into the county from 
the south and terminates at the Potomac river a few miles be- 
low the mouth of the Great Cacapon. The greatest elevation 
of this mountain is 2,196 feet. Sidling mountain lies in the 
wetsem part of the county between the Potomac and Great 
Cacapon rivers. It has an average elevation of about 2,000 
feet. Between the mountains named there are numerous ridges 
from 800 feet to 1,200 feet in height and all extending, like the 
former, in a northeast and southwest direction. 

The Potomac river, which separates Morgan county from 
•Maryland for a distance of about 50 miles^ is the principal 
stream and receives all the drainage of this area. The princi- 
pal tributaries of the Potomac here are the Great Cacapon river, 
which enters on the south from Hampshire county and flows 
at the western base of Cacapon mountain; Warm Spring run, 
which empties at Hancock Station, and Sleepy creek, which 
empties about 5 miles below. 

Original Timber Conditions. 

George Washington owned lands in Morgan county at 
Bath (now Berkeley Springs) and farther west near Orleans 
Crossroads. During an excursion to the "West" in 1784 Wash- 
ington visited and reviewed" his 200 acre tract at the latter 
place. The following entry in his journal under date of Sep- 
tember 8th, gives us some facts concerning the original timber 
in that locality: "Set out about 7 o'clock with Doctr. (Craik) 
his son William, and my Nephew Bushrod Washington, who 
were to make the tour with us, — about ten I parted with them 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



215 



at 15 Miles Creek^ & recrossed the Potomac (having psissed it 
abt. 3 Miles from the Springs before) to a tract of mine on the 
Virginia side which I find exceedingly Rich, & must be very- 
valuable. — the lower end of the Land is rich white oak in 
places springey; and in the winter wet. — the upper part is ex- 
ceedingly rich, and covered with walnut of considerable size 
many of them."* 

The kinds and the abundance of timber were usually men- 
tioned in early days, to indicate the value of the soil; but it 
must be concluded that at least some value was placed by Wash- 
ington on the timber itself, for he instructed "The Tenant not 
to remove any of the Walnut timber from the Land; or to split 
it into rails; as I should reserve that for my own use. — " 

From his intimate acquaintance with the forests of the 
county for the past forty years Dr. William II. McCullough, of 
Sleepy Creek, is able to give the following list of trees with 
approximate percentages showing their former relative abund- 



-ance : 

Chestnut Oak 20 per cent. 

White Oak 20 per cent. 

Pines (including White, Pitch, 

Scrub, and Yellow Pine) 10 per cent. 

Black Oak ) 

Red Oak } 20 per cent. 

Chestnut 20 per cent. 



Others, (including Sugar Maple, Red 
Maple, Locust, Hickory, White 
Ash, Cherry. Hemlock, Basswood, 
Black Gum, Black A¥alnut, Syca- 
more) 10 per cent. 

The Lumber Industry and Timber Destruction. 

The rich bottom and cove land of the county was souglit 
after and occupied at an early date and much of the best tim- 
ber destroyed before it had a merchantable value. 

It cannot now be ascertained when the first water-power 
saw mills operated nor what were the names of their owners. 



*"Washington and The West" p. 37. 



216 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



It is stated that these primitive mills were once numerous along 
the larger tributaries of the Potomac and that large amounts 
of excellent lumber were manufactured to supply local de- 
mands. The first steam saw mill — at least in the northeastern 
part of the county — is said to have been put in operation near 
Cherry run by Louis Shipley in the year 1870. Soon after this 
date, it is certain, mills of this kind became numerous and have 
so remained to the present. At first, when prices w^ere low, 
only the choicest lumber was manufactured and sold; later, 
when prices became high^ only the more inferior timber re- 
mained. For this reason, therefore, the lumber industry has 
often proved unprofitable both to the original owner and to the 
manufacturer. 

Waste has been everywhere in evidence. Bark from the 
chestnut oak timber — once so abundant on all the dry moun- 
tain ridges — was stripped off for local tanneries at Berkeley 
Springs, Pawpaw and other points, and the trunks left on the 
ground to decay ; wasteful methods of lumber manufacture have 
been employed; a great number of young trees have been cut — 
especially during the last 15 years — for mine props, cross-ties, 
poles and pulp wood ; and forest fires have prevailed in the 
wooded mountains during dry weather for more than a cen- 
tury. 

Present Forest Conditions. 

There are no virgin forests of any consequence now re- 
maining in the county. The cut-over forests lie on the 3 prin- 
cipal mountains and comprise an area of about 25,000 acres. 
The timber on the cut-over areas is not good. The prevailing 
species are white oak, black oak and chestnut oak, with a scat- 
tered growth of other more or less stunted hardwoods, and with 
a few white, yellow and scrub pines. 

The large number of healthy young locusts growing jiow 
in the county will be a valuable asset to all owners of woodland 
provided the trees are not seriously molested for a period of 
20 years. 

The wooded mountains — although producing but little tim- 
ber and of an inferior grade — are, nevertheless, indispensible 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



217 



factors in keeping up the water flow of the many streams 
throughout the whole region. The forest cover, for the purpose 
mentioned above, should be maintained and protected at all 
hazards. The water power capable of development is very- 
great. An electric plant located at the Horseshoe Bend of the 
Great Cacapon river is now supplying light to the towns of 
Berkeley Springs, Hancock and Great Cacapon, and power to a 
number of sand plants near the town of Berkeley Springs. 

The county is well adapted to fruit growing and consider- 
able of the wooded hill land, almost worthless for the growing 
of other crops, is being profitably utilized for the culture of 
peaches. 

Outside of the cut-over timber lands the farmers in the 
valleys have from 25 to 40 per cent of their farms in timber. 

NICHOLAS COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Nicholas county, formed in 1818 from part of Greenbrier, 
lies a short distance directly south of the center of the state. 
Its area is 691 square miles or 442,240 acres. 

Topography. 

The whole county is well elevated and portions of it are 
decidedly mountainous. A belt of land lying along the north- 
west side of Gauley river and including the areas drained by 
Beaver creek, Muddlety creek and Peters creek contain many 
acres of comparatively smooth creek bottoms, glades and rolling 
uplands. Northwest of this belt the surface is somewhat rougher 
and the ridges higher. The portion of the county in the eastern 
end which is drained by the Cherry river contains the highest 
land. Much of the surface in this region lies above 2^500 feet 
and a little of it reaches an elevation of almost 4,000 feet. 

Gauley river flows through the county from northeast to 
southwest. Its principal tributaries flowing in from the north- 
west are Twentymile creek. Peters creek, Muddlety creek and 
Beaver creek, named in order up stream. Its tributaris from 



218 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



the southeast are Meadow river, Hominy creek, Cherry river, 
and Cranberry river. The waters which drain a narrow area 
of land along the Clay county line reach the Elk river through 
Leatherwood, Buffalo and other creeks; and those that drain a 
large area in the north reach the Elk through Birch river and 
Strange creek. 

Original Forest Conditions. 

In the hardwood forests of the county white oak^ red oak, 
chestnut oak, yellow poplar, hickory, beech and maple were 
among the commonest species. With these grew nearly all other 
hardwoods common in the forests of central West Virginia. 
Black walnut was very abundant and of excellent quality in 
several localities. Hemlock was the principal softwood, being 
distributed generally over the county. Small areas of spruce 
grew in the high mountains in the extreme eastern corner. 

The Lumber Industry. 

The roughness of Gauley river prevented rafting, but 
thousands of poplar logs were drifted on the stream to mills 
located on the Great Kanawha. The first extensive drifting 
supplied logs to Thompson's circular saw mill situated near 
Kanawha Falls in Fayette county. J. R. Huffman, who had 2 
band saw mills at Charleston, drifted poplar, walnut and bass- 
wood logs in large numbers from many points along the Gauley 
and some of its larger tributaries. Timber was bought at a 
very low price by both Thompson and Huffman and little care 
was taken to save all the logs that were cut. It is stated that 
thousands of feet of black walnut logs sank in transit on slow- 
flowing Muddlety creek and are now buried along its sandy 
channel. Hundreds of the finest poplar and walnut logs were 
also left to rot upon the banks and in the drift-heaps along 
Gauley river. A similar waste was permitted along Birch river 
and Strange creek, tributaries of the Elk. Dams were built on 
these streams and when the logs were ''splashed" out or when 
they were drifted out during freshets many of them lodged 
upon the banks and were there allowed to remain. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



219 



There were a few water-power saw mills along the Gauley 
and other streams and a very few small portable mills in opera- 
tion before the year 1885. Most of the timber that had been 
sold up to that time, however, had been taken from lands ad- 
jacent to the larger streams and drifted out, as above men- 
tioned. The lumber from small mills operating in the interior 
of the county during the past 25 years has been hauled on 
wagons and tram-roads to Camden-on-Gauley and Richwood, 
on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, and to Belva on the Chesa- 
peake and Ohio. The names and approximate dates of a few 
portable saw mill operations are given below: 

A. J. Aylor operated a portable mill in the vicinity of 
Craigsville from 1896 to 1902; L. C. Williams, from 1898 to 
1905, on the waters of Gauley river; Geo. H. Alderson, 1893 
to 1902, in many sections of the county; W. D. Huff, 1895 to 
1908, numerous sets; Marple Bros., 1902 to 1908, on Cranberry 
river; T. A¥. Blankenship, 1898 to the present, on Beaver creek 
and Gauley river. The extensive operations of Arthur Brooks 
on Beaver creek should also be mentioned. Beside these there 
are many others that have operated in a small way and many 
others, also, that have recently begun to operate. 

During the last few years the forests of the county have 
been made accessible by the building of railroads, and 11 huge 
band mills within the county and 2 or 3 on the outside are en- 
gaged in reducing the quantity of timber in Nicholas and ad- 
joining counties at the rate of over 200 million feet a year. 
Three of these mills are located toward the southern end of the 
county — at Yaughan, Swiss, and at the mouth of Grassy creek; 
one is at Tioga in the northern end of the coimty; and the re- 
mainder are near the Baltimore and Ohio railroad between Al- 
lingdale station and Eichwood. The operations of the Cherry 
River Boom and Lumber Company, with 2 mills in Nicholas 
and 1 in Webster, and of Pardee and Curtin Lumber Company, 
with 3 mills in Nicholas, are the largest in the state and are 
among the largest in the country. A writer on the resources of 
West Virginia said of Nicholas county 17 years ago, "A few 
mills are located in the county and some logs are taken out the 
Gauley to be sawed at other places but the timber supply i^ 
being almost imperceptibly reduced by this." If all the mills 



220 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



that are now running in the county should remain in full 
operation for 7 years, and should cut all their timber from 
lands within the county and not from Webster, Greenbrier and 
Pocahontas, there would not be a timber tree standing in the 
year 1917. 

Present Forest Conditions. 

The 130,000 acres of virgin forest that still remain in the 
county lies principally in large boundaries to the southeast of 
the Gauley river and in the northern end of the county. A 
few smaller tracts are to be found in other sections. There are 
approximately 112,000 acres of cut-over forest land, the largest 
body of which lies on the waters of Cherry river in the eastern 
end. Other large areas are to be found along the western bor- 
der and smaller areas on the north and south. As a whole the 
forests lie east of the Gauley river and in a broad belt along 
the western side with a large area of farm land lying between 
on the west of Gauley river. 

About 70 per cent of the county is wooded. This includes, 
in addition to the areas of virgin and cut-over forests, about 
50,000 acres of woodland owned in small boundaries by the 
farmers. As a rule the farmers' woodlots contain some fairly 
good timber. 

OHIO COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Ohio county, situated in the middle of the Northern Pan- 
handle, is one of the oldest counties of the State, being formed 
from the ''District of West Augusta" in 1776. Its area, as 
determined by recent careful calculation, is 111 square miles 
or 71,040 acres. 

Topography. 

The county is everywhere hilly except the small areas of 
level bottom land along the Ohio river and Wheeling creek. 
For the most part, the hills are low and are smooth, enough to 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



221 



admit of easy cultivation. In some places, however, the hill- 
sides are steep and rough. This is especially true of those that 
slope abruptly to the Ohio river and to the narrow bottoms of 
the larger creeks. The elevation of the land at the mouth of 
Short creek in the northwestern corner of the county is 668 
feet. The lowest point is found at the Ohio river where it 
leaves the county on the south at an elevation of 610 feet. The 
hills rise in many places to a height of 1,100 to 1,300 feet and 
in the southeastern corner reach an elevation of 1,440 feet. 

The Ohio river forms the wetsern boundary of the county 
for about 12 miles and all the streams flow directly into it or 
into its larger tributaries. The principal tributary of the Ohio 
in this county is Wheeling creek^ entering from Marshall county 
on the south and emptying at the city of Wheeling. Other 
smaller streams are Short creek, a direct tributary of the Ohio, 
and Little A¥heeling creek, a tributary of Wheeling creek. 

Early Timber Conditions. 

According to Capt. Charles J. Rawling and Mr. William 
H. Irwin, of Wheeling, both early settlers in Ohio county, the 
valley of the Ohio river and of Wheeling creek and, in fact, 
all parts of the county were exceptionally well timbered with 
hardwoods of many kinds. The most abundant of these were 
white oak^ chestnut oak, hickory, cherry, locust, ash, elm, pop- 
lar, beech, black walnut and sycamore. The principal soft- 
wood was red cedar which grew in scattered clumps through- 
out the county. 

Early Settlements and the Lumber Industry. 

Much of the best timber of the county was destroyed by 
early settlers in the process of clearing their land for cultiva- 
tion. Settlement began at a very early date. Col. Ebenezer 
Zane, one of the three Zane brothers who settled at Wheeling in 
1769, cleared a small boundary of land for corn in the Ohio 
Valley in 1771. During the period of early settlement timber 
had little or no commercial value and, for this reason, all that 
was cut down, except a small quantity used in the construction 



222 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



of buildings^ fences, etc., was rolled together in heaps and 
burned. It was under these conditions that numerous settle- 
ments were made in the valleys and on the fertile uplands 
where the choicest of the timber grew. 

During the years of the early settlement of Ohio county 
the only lumber sawed was by means of hand-power whip saws 
and by water-power sash saws, several of which were located 
along the larger creeks. These have all ceased to run long ago 
and the names of most of the owners are forgotten. The old 
Hubbard mill, located at the mouth of Wheeling creek had a 
sash saw which was operated by steam-power. This mill was 
one of the pioneers among the larger operations. It is said that 
the mill cut a large quantity of white pine and other timber 
from the Allegheny river for about 18 years following its build- 
ing in 1830. 

Between the years 1835 and 1875 there were 4 wagon fac- 
tories in operation in Wheeling. These were owned by Samuel 
Irwin, Busby and Little, Josiah Bodley and Thomas Moffett. 
The combined capacity of these factories was at least 1,000 
wagons a year. Most of the vehicles manufactured were broad- 
tread southern wagons which were shipped on steam boats and 
barges to the sugar and cotton plantations of Mississippi, Louis- 
iana and Arkansas. Busby and Little manufactured, in addi- 
tion to the heavy wagons^ a large number of ambulances and 
quartermaster's wagons for use during the Civil War. All the 
wagon makers named made use of locust for hubs, hickory for 
wheels and oak for frames. They obtained their wood entirely 
from the forests of Ohio county. 

Ship-building was an important industry in Wheeling for 
several years. It is of much interest that the first steam boat — • 
the General Washington — which made the round trip from the 
upper Ohio to New Orleans was built at Wheeling about the 
year 1813. This boat, and many others built later by Wilson, 
Dunlevy & Company and by others, were constructed of local 
timbers. 

Following are the names of the tanners who have operated 
at Wheeling. The location given for some of them by streets 
and numbers is according to the present plan of the city : David 
Garden's tan yard, in operation from about 1825 to 1845; Mc- 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



223 



Connell 's tan yard, in operation from about 1825 to 1845 ; Mc- 
Clure's tan yard, corner of 4th and Main Streets, in operation 
from about 1825 to 1845 ; "Wheat 's tan yard, in operation in the 
50ies; Vockler's tan yard, 22nd and Water Streets, in opera- 
tion from 1850 to 1870; Berger and Huffman's tannery, corner 
Zane Ave. and Broadway, in operation from 1848 to 1870; J. 
G. Hoffman & Son's tannery, corner of 24th and Main Streets, 
in operation at present. Mention is made of the several tan- 
neries that have operated within the county for the reason that 
most of the bark used by them was obtained from chestnut oak 
timber growing near at hand. In the early days the trees peeled 
for bark were left to rot on the ground. 

The timber on Wheeling Hill was largely used for burning 
brick in Wheeling about sixty years ago. 

Small steam saw mills, here as elsewhere, have operated in 
the past in nearly all sections of the county, sawing lumber and 
cross-ties. 

Present Conditions. 

The virgin forests of Ohio county are a thing of the past. 
As a rule, the farmers have reserved small boundaries of wood- 
land for domestic use. These, however, occupy not more than 
one-tenth of the area, and most of them have been closely cut- 
over. If the worthless brush now growing on rough land 
throughout the county could be replaced by fast-growing and 
valuable species, such as locust, poplar, ash, and catalpa, great 
profit would result fo the farmers within the next 25 years. 

PENDLETON COUNTY. 



location and Area. 

Pendleton county, formed in 1787 from parts of Rocking- 
ham, Augusta and Hardy, lies on the eastern border of the state. 
It is joined on the east and south by Rockingham, Augusta and 
Highland counties, of Virginia, on the north by Hardy and 
Grant, and on the west by Randolph and Pocahontas counties. 
Its area is 707 square miles or 452,480 acres. 



224 



CONDITIONS BY (JOUN'Mt'S. 



Topography. 

Spruce mountain, lying in the western part of the county, — 
and mentioned more particularly under another head — is the 
highest mountain in West Virginia, attaining near its southern 
extremity an elevation of 4,860 feet. From this mountain east- 
ward there is a succession of high, parallel ridges or folds of the 
Alleghanies extending through the county from northeast to 
southwest. The loftiest and longest of these are North Fork 
mountain, in the center, and Shenandoah or Great North moun- 
tain on the east. Along the bases of these mountains are num- * 
erous lesser ridges and peaks, some of which are designated as 
follows : Timber ridge, Grassy mountain and Snowy mountain, 
in the North Fork basin; Cave mountain, Pretty ridge, Big 
mountain, Little mountain. Tract hill, CoUetts mountain, 
Buffalo hills. Pond ridge, Lankey mountain, Easy mountain, 
Bible knob, Moser knob. Pickle mountain, Raleman mountain. 
Panther knob, Bobs mountain, Simmons mountain, and others, 
at the eastern base of North Fork mountain; Middle mountain, 
South Fork Mountain, Sweedlin hill, Long ridge, and Town 
mountain, scattered along the east side of the South Branch of 
the Potomac and on both sides of the South Fork. 

Three swift-flowing rivers course toward the northeast 
through the county. The South Branch of the Potomac flows 
near the center and its North and South forks at about equal 
distances from it on the northwest and the southeast. These 
rivers are fed by many small streams and by cold springs that 
issue from the wooded mountains along their courses. 

Original Forest Conditions. 

"With a vertical range in altitude of a little more than 3,500 
feet this county becomes the natural home of a great variety of 
trees and shrubs and other plants. In the rich river valleys 
grew many hardwoods, such as the oaks, the maples, the walnuts 
and the yellow poplar ; while on the cold summits of the highest 
mountains where the original conditions still exist only such 
species as can endure a Canadian climate find a congenial home. 
Among these are the red spruce, the mountain ash, the yellow 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



225 



birch and the mountain maple. There is no indication at pres- 
ent that red spruce Avas abundant on any of the high ridges east 
of Spruce mountain, although the elevation would seem to favor 
its growth in many places. White pine was once common in 
the creek bottoms of the tributaries of the South Branch and the 
South Fork. A few groves of this tree still remaining in the 
river valleys indicate that it once may have grown in similar 
situations throughout the county. The other conifers were hem- 
lock, yellow pine, pitch piue, jersey pine, table mountain pine, 
red cedar, and arbor vitae. Of these yellow pine was once 
abundant, growing principally on southern and eastern expos- 
ures. Yellow poplar has never grown generally in this area, 
but that it was once found in South Branch valley, at least to 
some extent, is evidenced by the fact that some of the old log 
houses built in Revolutionary times were constructed of this 
wood. 

Timber Destruction and the Lumber Industry. 

According to Mr. 0. F. Morton, who is now preparing a 
history of Pendleton county, settlement began in the year 1747 ; 
and within 40 years from that date there was an almost contin- 
uous settlement along the three rivers, and a population of 
2,000 people living in the valleys. The amount of good timber 
destroyed in the process of preparing the large areas of land 
for cultivation, both in the early days and in later years, has 
been enormous. The valleys and coves contained the best of the 
timber, and when these were cleared, the more inferior timbers 
of the less fertile mountain lands were left. 

From 75 to 80 per cent of the mature pine timber of the 
county was killed by bark beetles about the years 1891 and 1892. 
This great destruction by insects furnished dry fuel for fre- 
quent and furious forest fires which raged in the mountaius 
in 1895 and which have often occurred since that date. 

The lumber industry here has been insignificant in com- 
parison with that of the 2 counties adjoining on the west. The 
cause for this is found in the remoteness of the region from 
navigable streams and from railroads. 

The old sash saw mills were once scattered along the larger 
15 



226 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



-streams of the county but the exact number of these is not 
known and the date of the first operation is problematical. 
Joseph Martin, author of the ''Gazetteer of Virginia and the 
District of Columbia," published in 1835, lists 1 saw mill and 
2 tan yards for Pendleton county. It is probable, however, that 
1835 is not the date of the beginning of saw mill operations. 
Three sash saw mills are still run at irregular intervals in the 
county. Small portable saw mills, numbering 2 or 3 in the 
seventies, and about 20 at present, have done most of the sawing 
so far. These mills, with a few exceptions only, are moved from 
place to place with traction engines. In the winter they saw 
for the farmers and in the summer and fall the engines are 
used to thresh their grain. A larger circular sav\^ mill was 
operated on Big run of North Fork several years ago by the 
Parsons Pulp and Lumber Company. This company^ with a large 
band mill al Horton, in Randolph county, has recently built 
lumber railroads across the divide between the waters of the 
Cheat and the Potomac and has already cut much of the spruce 
and other timber on Big run and on Seneca creek. 

About 25 years ago Capt. J. H. Daugherty and Geo. W. 
and D. W. Eagle were all engaged in buying and shipping 
walnut lumber sawed on the small mills running on the South 
Branch in the vicinity of Upper Tract and on the North Fork 
above the mouth of Seneca creek. Most of this lumber was 
hauled on wagons to the railroad at Keyser, Mineral county, a 
distance of about 70 miles. The quality of the walnut lumber 
was good but much of it had to be classed as culls on account 
of its poor manufacture. Since 1905 most of the walnut timber 
that remained in the county has been bought and taken out in 
the log. 

One of the chief uses made of white pine was for shingles, 
a large number of which were hauled in wagons to the Valley 
of Virginia and other places between the years 1860 and 1900. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

In consequence of the limited lumber industry in the 
county most of the wooded area has remained to the present 
in a virgin state. Of the 140,000 acres, approximately, of tim- 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



227 



berland, 138,000 acres are virgin and 2,000 acres are cut over. 
The virgin forests lie on the mountains in more or less continu- 
* ous broad belts running from northeast to southwest, and in 
smaller boundaries scattered here and tli^re. The cut-over 
forests are principally on the west of Spruce mountain. The 
sawing by small mills has been on lands that were soon to be 
''improved." This accounts for the absence of cut-over forests 
in the central and eastern sections. In addition to the above 
mentioned forest lands about 60 per cent of the farm land is 
growing well-timbered woodlots. 

As stated under another head, many of the mature pines 
were killed in 1891 and 1892 by insects. In some localities 
where this destruction occurred there is a good reproduction 
of young pines \ but in most cases, especially where the destruc- 
tion of seed trees was complete, a young hardwood forest is 
growing up among the decaying pine logs. The appearance of 
hardwoods to succeed the conifers is not discouraging as the 
young trees are of valuable kinds. Locust, in particular, is 
abundant in places and is remarkably free from the enemies 
that disturb its growth in many other parts of the state. 

From many standpoints the conditions in most sections of 
the county are ideal. The rich valleys produce abundant yields 
of vegetables, and fruits and grains, and the forest-covered 
mountains insure a constant flow of clear and unpolluted water. 
Over a large area in the western part, however, conditions are 
somewhat reversed. As a result of a disastrous forest fire which 
originated 50 years ago from a camp of scouts on the Roaring 
Plains, it is said, and of many subsequent fires, about 20,000 
acres of mountaia land are burned bare. 

Spruce Knob. 

The highest land in the state, 4,860 feet above tide, is 
found on a long, flat-topped ridge lying in the western part of 
Pendleton county and known as Spruce mountain. The crest 
of the mountain, for a little more than 10 miles, lies above 4,500 
feet, and for half that distance, is 200 feet higher. Toward 
the southern end there is a gradual rise to the highest point. 
Spruce Knob, as this is called, is a misnomer for the reason that 



228 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



the land here does not rise in the shape of a knob, being only 
slightly elevated above the general level of the ridge. The 
crest of the monntain varies in width from one-fourth to one- 
half mile and is everywhere strewn with seamed and broken 
fragments of sandstone. 

The best view, in general, of the mountain can be obtained 
from the high watershed separating Gandy creek, a tributary 
of Cheat, from the waters of the Potomac ; and from the summit 
of North Fork mountain on the east. As seen from the former 
mountain the western face appears not as a forest region, but 
as an area of open fields with scattered boundaries of dark 
green woodland. The sandstone boulders along the summit 
and the irregular outcrops farther down the mountain side are 
only faintly seen and the profuse growth of shrubbery is not 
discernable with the naked eye at that distance. Viewed from 
the other side, the deciduous forests, which cover the eastern 
face of the mountain give it a strikingly different appearance 
from the view obtained from the mountain on the west. 

On closer examination it is found that thousands of acres, 
lying on the crest and on the side which faces toward the west, 
and in the region about the headwaters of Seneca creek and Big 
creek, are almost treeless and are thickly overgrown with ferns 
and wild grasses. ' In many places the lower vegetation has 
given way to tangled thickets of shrubs; and occasionally, in 
these open regions, a stunted spruce, or mountain ash, or other 
tree, has gained a foothold. This area was not always destitute 
of trees, but was covered a hundred years ago with a valuable 
forest of spruce. It is not, as has already been said, entirely 
without trees at the present day ; for the fires which have swept 
over the mountain at frequent intervals for 50 years or more 
have left in the shady, moist depressions of the ridge, and in 
other protected spots, a remnant of the original growth. These 
few protected areas serve to show the character of the highest 
forests of the state and to hold the boreal forms of plant and 
animal life that find there the conditions under which they 
thrive. 

The following annotated list of plants is copied from a 
memorandum made on the summit of Spruce Knob, June 
18, 1908: 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



229 



RED SPRUCE. Picea rub ens. — The principal tree of the 
mountain. The dwarfed spruces growing among the 
rocks have limbs developed only on the leeward side, the 
lowest of which lie flat on the rocks and in many cases 
are longer than the trunks themselves. 

WHITE PINE, Finus Strohus.—Onlj 2 trees seen. These are 
not over 8 feet high and appear as if out of their range. 

YELLOW BIRCH, Betula lutea. — Abundant, growing with the 
spruces on the highest wooded parts. 

MOUNTAIN ASH, Sorhiis Americana. — Frequent in open 
places. In full bloom. 

WILD RED CHERRY, Prumis Pennsylvanica.—ThiokQis, of 
young trees, mostly below the crest. 

]\IOUNTAIN MAPLE. Acer spicatum. — An occasional small 
tree. 

JUNEBERRY, Amelanchier Canadensis. — The few trees 
stunted and badly weatherbeaten. 

DOTTED THORN, Crataegus punctata.— Three or 4 old trees 
standing a short distance south of the highest point. 
Still in bloom. 

MOUNTAIN LAUREL, Kalmia latifolia.— Small clnmps, 
mostly along the eastern edge of the summit. 

ALLEGHANY MENZIESIA, Menziesia pilosa.—An abundant 
shrub of the heath family, from 1 to 3 feet tall, now 
covered with yellowish, bell-shaped flowers. 

BLACK HUCKLEBERRY, Gaylussacia resinosa.—Plentitul, 
with flowers and green fruit. 

WINTERGREEN, Gaultheria pr ocumh ens. —Ahxmdant^ and 
full of ripe berries of a very large size. 



230 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



TRAILING ARBUTUS, Epigeae rep ens. — Common, growing 
with the wintergreen. 

MOUNTAIN CRANBERRY, Oxycoccus erythrocarpus.— Very 
abundant. Growing with Menziesia. 

WILD HOLLY, Ilicoides mucronata. — A common, low shxub 
with long-stemmed, green berries. 

MOUNTAIN HOLLY, Ilex monticola.—A few small bushes, in 
bloom. 

BLACK CHOKEBERRY, Aronia nigra. — Common shrub near 
the summit. 

FETID CURRANT, Rites prostratum. — Reclining on rocks. 
Common. 

DWARF CORNEL, Cormis Canadensis. — A small dogwood, 
not over 3 to 5 inches high. Full of pretty white blossoms. 

RED RASPBERRY, Ruhus strigosus. — Common on summit. 
More plentiful lower down. 

WILD BLEEDING-HEART, Bicuculla eximia.—A delicate 
and beautiful red-flowered plant, growing in crevices of 
rocks on dryest part of the summit. 

GREAT WILLOW-HERB, Epilohium angustifolium— 'Not so 
common here as in burnings lower down. 

PAINTED WAKE-ROBIN, Trillium undulatum.^A few in 
bloom in shady places. 

CANADA MAY-FLOWER, Unifolium Canadense. — Common.* 
In bloom. 

YELLOW CLINTONIA, Clintonia horealis. — A very common 
plant, with lily-like yellow flowers. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



231 



PINK MOCCASIN-FLOWER, Cypripedium acaule.—^everdl 
in bloom. 

ROUND-LEAVED ORCHID, Lysias orhiculat a. —One plant 
found in shade of spruce trees near summit. Now in bud. 

BRACKEN FERN, Fteridkim aquilinum. — The most abundant 
plant of the region, covering thousands of acres of burnt 
lands. 

CINNAMON FERN, Osmunda cinnamonea. — A few small areas 
overgrown with this fern. 

POLYPODY, Polypodium vulgare. — On rocks. Not common. 

GROLTND PINE, Lycopodinm ohscurum. — Common. 

RUNNING PINE, Lycopodkim clavatum. — Abundant. Trailing 
over rocks. 

GROUND PINE, Lycopodinm complanatum. — A few found. 

The list here given is far from complete but includes the 
majority of plants, from the club mosses up, which grow on the 
highest parts of Spruce mountain. A thorough search would 
reveal many additional and interesting flowering plants and a 
large number of cryptogams. A list oi the numerous plants 
which grow in the wooded portions of the mountain might be 
given, but for lack of space this is not included. 

The mammal and bird life of Spruce mountain is no less 
interesting than the plant life; and the region is as definitely 
characterized as Canadian by the one as by the other. Some of 
the representatives of the mammalian fauna found upon or in 
the vicinity of the mountain are the Black Bear, Ursus ameri- 
canus, the Raccoon, Procyon lot or, the Red Fox, Vtdpes fidvus, 
the Bay 'Ljjix,Lynx 7'ufus, the Varying Hare, Lepus Ameri- 
canus, and the Red Squirrel, Sciurus hudsomcus. Among the 
smaller mammals are the Smoky Shrew, Sorex fumeus, the Star- 
nosed Mole, Condylura crisfaia, Cooper's Lemming, Synaptomys 



232 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



cooperi, Red-backed Mouse, Evotomys gapperi, and the Canadian 
White-footed Mouse, Peromyscus maniculaius nuhiterrae. 

The birds are represented by such species as the Veery, 
Hylocichla fuscescens, the Olive-backed Thrush, Hylocichla 
ustulata swainsonii, the Golden-cro^^TLed Kinglet, Begulus 
satrapa, the Red-breasted Xuthateh, Sitta canadensis, the Win- 
ter Wren, Xajinus hiemalis. the Magnolia Warbler, Dendroica 
maculosa, the Canadian Warbler, Wilsonia CanoAensis. the 
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Zamelodia ludoviciana, the Barred Owl, 
Strix varia, and the Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo horealis. 

To the purchaser of coal or oil, to the farmer or even to the 
lumberman, Spruce mountain olfers little or nothing. But to 
the lover of mountain air and mountain scenery, to the student 
of nature and the collector it offers much and possesses for these 
a peculiar interest and charm. To the former it is a l^arren 
upheaval of rocks, with but little soil and with le^s timber. To 
the latter it is a field for the study of a multitude of interesting 
forms of life and of geologic formations, and a place of unpar- 
alleled advantage from which to survey the long mountain 
ranges of the AUeghanies and the Blue Ridge. It is difficult, 
indeed, to imagine a region more bleak and unfruitful to some 
and at the same time more intensely fascinating to others. The 
mountain, however, has been robbed of half its glory by fire, 
and its great value cannot be realized until its forests have been 
restored. 

PLEASANTS COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Pleasants, formed in 1851 from parts of Wood, Tyler and 
Ritchie, is a small, narrow county hing along the Ohio river 
on the western border of the state. It is surrounded by the 3 
counties from which it was formed and by Washington county. 
Ohio. Its area is 142 square miles or 90.8S0 acres. 

Topography. 

The surface of Pleasants county can be described as hilly. 
The descent is from numerous elevations of 1,100 feet, 1,200 
feet and a few of 1,300 feet, along the eastern side, down to an 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICxVL SURVEY. 233 

elevation of about 575 feet, the average low water mark of this 
section of the Ohio river. The tops of the hills lie on a more 
or less level and uniform plane and the descent, mentioned 
above, is chiefly made along the river. In many places through- 
out the county the hillsides are steep and broken with narrow 
ravines. At several places the Ohio river valley is very nar- 
row, the hills descending almost to the water's edge. This is 
particularly true for a distance of 2 or 3 miles just south of 
St. Marys and for an equal distance at Ravenrock 5 miles 
above. For the remaining distance the valley is from one- 
fourth to three-fourths of a mile in width. 

The county has a frontage on the Ohio river of about 17 
miles. The largest tributaries of this section of the river are 
Bull creek which forms the county's southern boundary line, 
Cow creek which empties 3 miles above, French creek which 
empties at Belmont, and Middle Island creek which empties 
at St. Marys. The largest tributaries of Middle Island creek 
in the county are McKim creek and Sugar creek. The general 
course of all the streams is westward and southwestward 
toward the Ohio. 

The Original Forest Conditions. 

Many years ago the rich valley of the Ohio river was occu- 
pied by farmers and by them was divested of its timber. For 
this reason an intelligent discussion of the early forest con- 
ditions of that section is hardly possible. It is true, however, 
that the whole valley was heavily forested with hardwoods such 
as yellow poplar^ black walnut, oaks, hickories, maples, white 
ash, beech, black cherry, sycamore, white elm and many others. 
The softwoods, which grew in considerable quantities among 
the hills, were yellow pine, white pine and hemlock. As a 
whole the county has afforded an abundant supply of timber. 

The Early Lumber Industry. 

There was no market for the timber removed by the earli- 
est settlers, and that which was not needed for buildings, fenc- 
ing etc., was rolled together and burned. While some of the 



234 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



best timber was destroyed in this way it cannot be regarded as 
a useless waste. In order to fit tlie land for cultivation the 
farmers were compelled to clear it of the forest growth which 
then had no apparent value to them save for domestic use. 

The first timber marketed from the county was yellow 
poplar, oak and pine, rafted down the Ohio river and used for 
ship building at Cincinnati, St. Louis and other southern 
points. 

The tan bark industry was one of the first that affected 
the timber of the interior. Thousands of cords of bark were 
peeled from the chestnut oaks, which grew on dry ridges 
throughout the hilly part of the county, and hauled on wagons 
to St. Marys. Here it was sold to merchants for cash or traded 
to them for goods. The merchants loaded the bark into barges 
and marketed most of it in St. Louis and Cincinnati. Two 
small tanneries at St. Marys, one built at an early date and 
another in 1871 were the only users of tan bark at home. 
Since the building of the Ohio Kiver Division of the Baltimore 
and Ohio railroad in 1884 this method of handling tan bark 
has fallen into disuse and Pittsburg has become the chief mark- 
et. It may be said that great waste accompanied this industry 
as no use was made of any part of the tree except its bark. 

During the same period and as late as 1890 hickory and 
white oak hoop-poles were cut in great numbers. Some of these 
were used locally by the coopers at St. j\Iarys and others were 
bought and shipped by merchants. Poles for slack hoops 
brought $4.50 and those for tight hoops about $7.50 per 
thousand. 

The stave and lumber industry came next. The first staves 
to be taken were split staves. The choicest white oaks were 
felled and sa^^'ed into sections of the right length. These were 
then split into pieces of the proper thickness for 2 staves, 
kno^Ti as "double stuff," and hauled in wagons and sold to 
merchants and coopers in St. J\Iarys. During the period of an 
early oil development on Horseneck creek, in about 1860, most 
of the staves obtainable were manufactured into barrels by lo- 
cal coopers and used for shipping crude oil. Later, when the 
oil refineries began the manufacture of barrels, the supply of 
staves went for this purpose to Parkersburg, Marietta and 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



235 



Pittsburg. The first stave saw mills came into the county in 
1880. In the following 15 years great numbers of staves were 
sawed and sold to contractors who shipped them to Pittsburg 
from St. Marys. 

The first saw mills to operate in the county Avere sash saw 
mills run by water power. These began as early as 1830. The 
Sylvan mill, located on Middle Island creek about 6 miles 
above its mouth, was the principal mill in the county from 
about 1840 to 1880. During most of the year this mill ran day 
and night. The lumber which it manufactured was rafted to 
southern points along the Ohio river. Other mills of this kind 
were the Locke mill, the Lamp mill, the Gattrell mill, the Wat- 
son mill and the Seckman mill, all located on McKim creek 
a tributary of Middle Island. 

Portable steam saw mills were brought in about 1870. 
Their coming marked the beginning of the greatest activity in 
the lumber industry. Companies bought timber and located 
mills in nearly all sections of the county. The most extensiva 
operation was that of Jones and Haines. With a stationary 
mill at Jonestown on McKim creek and several portable mills 
at various points they employed a force of 100 to 150 men from 
1875 to 1884. Cochran Brothers, with 1 mill in Pleasants 
county and 1 in Eitchie, removed about 3 million feet of tim- 
ber from Cow creek. Hammet Brothers, also, cut timber in 
the same section. Capt. Martin Bachman and Nicholas Broth- 
ers were prominent operators on French creek. 

The cross-tie industry was large from 1870 to 1895. The 
principal shipping point was St. Marys. 

Black walnut, which was once common in rich coves and 
bottoms throughout the county, was largely taken out and ex- 
ported to Europe during the ^'walnut boom" from 1870 to 
1875. 

There has been an enormous oil production in the county 
since 1860. The first territory was developed on Horseneck 
creek in that year and later developments began in 1889. No 
other one industry has dra^ATi so heavily upon the supply of 
oaks and other hardwoods of the county. Oil well derricks of 
the earlier development were "boarded up" on all sides and 



236 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



required several hundred feet of lumber in excess of the 11,200 
feet now used in their construction. 

The Present Lumber Industry. 

Th*e removal from this small county, through a period of 
75 years or more, of hoop poles, tan bark, staves, shingles, 
cross-ties, lumber and logs, together with the clearing of the 
land by farmers, has practically exterminated the forests. The 
lumber industry is now reduced to the work of half a dozen 
small mills, which saw irregularly from place to place, and to 
the small operations of a few floating saw mills along the 
Ohio river. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

Only the fragments of a forest now remain in the county, 
From 65 to 70 per cent of the whole area has been cleared for 
agricultural purposes. The largest tract of timber remaining 
is one of about 200 acres in Jefferson district. This has not 
been cut over because of its ownership by the infant heirs of 
an estate. As a rule the farmers' woodlots contain but little 
timber of any kind. In many cases even the cross-tie and pole 
timber are gone. Portions of numerous farms, especially in 
the oil fields, have become impoverished by long-continued 
cropping and are now overgrown with briers and brush. 

It should be noted here that in some sections of the county 
there is a most promising growth of young trees of valuable 
kinds and that yellow locusts are beginning to occupy otherwise 
unprofitable ground in many places. 

POCAHONTAS COUNTY. 



Lrocation and Area. 

Pocahontas county was formed in the year 1821 from parts 
of Bath, Pendleton and Eandolph. It lies on the eastern border 
of the state, the summit of the Alleghany mountains being the 
dividing line between the county and Virginia. Greenbrier 
bounds it on the south, Greenbrier, Webster and Eandolph on 
the west, and Webster and Randolph bound it obliquely on the 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGIC.VL SURVEY. 



237 



north. Its area, as given by the United State Geological Sur- 
vey, is 858 square miles or 549,120 acres. 

Topography. 

Although the highest mountain in the state is in Pendle- 
ton, the county of highest general elevation is Pocahontas. This 
county can hardly have an average elevation of less than 3,000 
feet above the sea."* The eastern line follows the crest of the 
Alleghany mountains for a distance of more than 50 miles. 
Westward from this elevated border the surface descends by a 
succession of parallel ridges and stream channels to the valley 
of the Greenbrier river. Lying close to the western side of 
this river, and at an elevation of about 300 feet above it, are to 
be found in some places almost level areas of upland. Little 
Levels in the vicinity of Hillsboro is the principal one of these 
and, with its broad fields of grain and grass and with its border 
of wooded mountains^ forms one of tlie most fertile and beauti- 
ful spots in West Virginia. The western side of the county is 
occupied by high mountains which are less regular in their 
trend than those on the east. The names and elevations of a 
few of the higher mountain peaks of the county are given 



below : 

Bald knob 4,800 feet. 

Spruce knob 4,750 feet. 

Mace knob 4,700 feet. 

Big Spruce knob 4,652 feet. 

Bear mountain 4,600 feet. 

EUeber ridge 4,600 feet. 

Briery knob 4,534 feet . 

Locust knob 4,392 feet. 

Blue knob 4,368 feet. 

Little Spruce knob 4,360 feet. 

Gibson knob 4,360 feet. 

Buck knob 4,356 feet. 

Colaw knob 4,214 feet. 

Bayards knob 4,150 feet. 



*""West Virginia Agricultural Resources and Possibilities," p. 9 



238 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Greenbrier river, the principal stream, rises in the high moun 
tains in the north and flows southward passing slightly east of 
the center of the connty. Its drainage basin includes about three- 
fourths of the whole area of the county. The larger eastern tribu- 
taries of the Greenbrier, named from south to north^ are Joshua 
creek, Beaver creek, Knapps creek. Thorny creek, North fork, 
and East fork. These tributaries, with their numerous branch- 
es, drain all the area east of the Greenbrier river. Its principal 
western tributaries are Locust creek, Stamping creek, Swago 
creek, Stony creek, Laurel run. Clover creek and West fork. 
The streams which drain the western side of the county, named 
from south to north, are North Fork of Cherry river, Cran- 
berry river, Williams river^ tributaries of the Gauley; Old 
Field fork, Slaty fork. Big Springs fork, and Dry fork, trib- 
utaries of the Elk river ; Tygarts Valley river, tributary of the 
Monongahela; and Shavers fork, tributary of the Cheat river. 
A small area on the west is drained by the heads of the North, 
Middle and South forks of the Gauley river. It is thus seen 
that no fewer than 8 rivers have their sources in the mountains 
of Pocahontas, making it an area of great importance from the 
standpoint of water protection and distribution. 

The Original Timber Conditions. 

The county has been and still remains, one of the most im- 
portant timber regions of the state. Red spruce once covered 
the high mountains lying west of the Greenbrier river basin and 
a large area in the north drained by the headwaters of the 
Greenbrier and Shavers Fork of Cheat. With and near the 
spruce grew such other woods as hemlock, black cherry, yellow 
birch, sugar maple, beech and chestnut. On the lower grounds 
between the mountainous sections of the east and west grew 
most of the hardwoods common to central West Virginia. These 
included such species as yellow poplar, black walnut, white and 
red oaks, bass wood, white ash, hickories and maples. East of the 
Greenbrier river, even on the highest elevations^ spruce was not 
found to any extent south of the town of Greenbank. White 
pine was distributed in large areas along Deer creek, Sitlington 
creek, Knapps creek, and other eastern tributaries of the Green- 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



239 



brier river. The original stand of white pine has been estimat- 
ed by some at 600 million feet, and by others at 1 billion feet. 

The Lumber Industry. 

The facts given below regarding the early lumber industry 
in the county were obtained largely from data collected for this 
report by Hon. A. D. Williams, of Marlinton. 

We do not know precisely when and where the first lumber 
was manufactured in Pocahontas county; but we are certain 
that the first sawing was done by the old-fashioned whip saw 
and that this was followed by the water mill, or "up-and-down" 
saw mill, as it was commonly known. After this the portable 
steam mills began to operate, and in later years the modern 
band saw mills. The development of machinery for the mxanu- 
facture of lumber, as illustrated in this county, has been nothing 
short of marvelous ; and the change from one method of sawing 
to another in each case has marked the beginning of an epoch 
in the lumber industry. 

It seems that little has been written concerning the saw and 
its part in the industrial history of the county, important as this 
has been, and that many of the interesting facts connected Avith 
the early use of timber have been lost with the pioneers them- 
selves. There are a few men yet living, however, whose memory 
covers the whole period of time in which the hand operated whip 
saw has given place^ step by step, to the huge lumber plant of 
the present day. On information given by these men, and on 
the records left in the remains of the early dwellings, we must 
depend for the fragments of history given below — fragments 
which would be lost entirely to the next generation. 

It is evident that the first dwellings were built mthout the 
use of any instrument for sawing, and that all the parts — the 
log walls, the board roofs, and the puncheon floors — were shaped 
with the axe, the adz, and the frow. An examination of the 
dwellings built a few years later shows that their floors were 
made of whip-sawed lumber. Among the dwellings yet stand- 
ing, which have floors of this kind, is the home of Martha Dilley, 
widow of the late Andrew Dilley, son and occupant of the home 
of the pioneer Martin Dilley. The floors in this dwelling were 



24:0 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



laid of pine lumber and by long usage the softer parts of the 
planks have worn away so that now every knot and resin spot 
stands up prominently. It cannot now be ascertained who did 
the whip sawing for this floor. 

The first whip saw known to have been used in the vicinity 
of Marlinton was owned by the McCoUums and '^Lowey" Mc- 
Collum was known as the sawyer. For years he and Alexander 
Lamb did the neighborhood sawing. At the death of Lawrence 
McCoUum the saw was sold to Levi Waugh and by him to James 
Courtney, the pioneer of the Courtney family in Pocahontas. 
At the latter 's sale it was sold to William Irvine of the Verdant 
Valley vicinity. 

In the Back Alleghany region, which is that part of the 
county west of the Greenbrier river from Durbin south to a 
point some distance below Cass, William Cassell was the possess- 
or of a whip saw that he used until near the year 1880. The last 
work done Avith this saw, of which any note was taken, was in 
sawing plank for the home of William Cassell Jr. built by D. B. 
McElwee and C. B. Swecker in 1877. The older Graggs of the 
same section o^vned and operated a whip saw about 100 years 
ago. 

The Burners^ Yeagers, and Arbogasts, of the "Upper 
Tract" were the owners and operators of .< whip saw in the 
vicinity of Travelers Repose many years ago. 

In the lower Pocahontas, or Hillsboro region, doubtless the 
first whip saw brought to the county was owned and used by 
Charles and Jacob Kennison who, with J olm McNeel, settled in the 
Levels in the year 1765. Charles Kennison was considered a good 
artisan in that day and the old pioneer house of John ]\IcNeel and 
the residence of the late Claybourn McNeil, of Buckeye, still stand 
as samples of his skillful work. Ezekiel and Fillden Boggs owned 
and operated a whip saw during the early days of settlement in 
the Levels section; and later another'saw was procured by John 
and Frank Williams, who did considerable work in that 
neighborhood. 

It is probable that the Cackleys at Millpoint (then Cackley 
Town), the Gibsons and Hannahs at Yelk, and the Bradshaws 
of Knapps creek, all owned whip saws in the early history of the 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



241 



county; but no definite information regarding the time and the 
extent of their work has been obtained. 

The last whip sawing in the county of any note, was done 
by Andrew Amos and Andrew Workman about the year 1880. 
The lumber was used by L. M. and Geo. W. McClintic for the 
construction of the Tea Creek Hunting House, at the mouth of 
Tea creek. 

According to information obtained from Isaac McNeil and 
others, a water-power saw mill was built by the McNeels some 
years after their settlement in the southern end of the county 
in the year 1765. It is probable that Charles Kennison, who 
planned and worked on the fort in that section, helped to con- 
struct the first saw mill. 

In 1778 Valentine Cackley settled at Millpoint and erected 
a grist mill, saw mill, and tilt or forging hammer. He also 
started a tannery, and in later years a store, making this the 
central place of business in lower Pocahontas for many years. 
Later the sons of Valentine Cackley, Valentine Jr. and Joseph, 
succeeded their father and erected another mill, Valentine taking 
the lower mill and Joseph the upper. Joseph Cackley afterward 
sold his mill to Sampson L. Matthews who operated it for 
several years. Only broken pieces of the old mills now remain. 

Thomas Casebolt built and operated a sash saw mill on the 
headwaters of Locust creek about the beginning of the 19th 
century. Shortly after this Josiah Beard Sr. built a saw and 
grist mill on the same creek. Near this time, also, John H. Ruck- 
man built a dam and erected a mill at the mouth of Stamping 
creek, a tributary of Greenbrier river. 

About 1850 J ames F. Hill built a saw mill on Rush run be- 
tween Jacox and Lobelia; and a little later the venerable Peter 
Hill, to whom we are indebted for considerable information, 
built a saw mill on Hills creek. Still a little later Morgan Ander- 
son built a mill on Bruffeys creek, and about the same time 
Henry N. Clark erected another on Robins fork of Spring 
creek not far from the county line and the old Hudson-Martin 
corner. 

Paul McNeel built and operated a saw mill on Spice run for 
many years. This successful operation was east of the river and 
16 



242 CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 

most of the timber cut was white pine which could be sawed 
easily and bought at a very low price. 

Thomas McNeel settled on 300 acres of land on Swago creek 
about the year 1770. Here he built a grist mill, loom, and 
powder mill, which he ran by water power. After his death his 
son, Jonathan ]\IcNeel Sr. used the power for sawing lumber, 
weaving cloth, making powder and grinding grain. 

A sash saw mill was operated by ]\Iike Propps above the 
mouth of Stony creek during the early years of the last century. 
All that now remains of this mill is a remnant of the race and 
dam. Farther up the creek the early Duffields had a saw and 
grist mill which was erected by William Cochran and Alexander 
Lamb. The place is now marked by the combination flouring 
mill, shingle mill, and saw mill owned by Godfrey Geiger and 
operated by water-power. 

On Big Spring fork where McLaughlin's mill stood, Robert 
Moore built and operated a saw and grist mill. Lieut. Beverly 
Waugh, who furnished much information regarding the early 
saw mills, remembers when but a small boy of seeing Amos Bar- 
low with red oxen hauling lumber from this mill to the home of 
his father, the late Eev. John Waugh of Indian Draft, to pay 
for blacksmith work prior to the year 1840. In later years Rev. 
John Waugh built a dam and erected a saw mill in the Indian 
Draft near his home. In connection with his other work of saw- 
ing lumber, blacksmithing and farming, he wheeled the first 
wagon in the county. The wheels of this wagon, which was 
owned by Robert Gay, were made of solid blocks of wood bound 
with iron tires. 

David Gibson built a grist and saw mill on the waters of 
Elk about the year 1840 and did the neighborhood sawing 
and grinding for a time. 

Andrew Amos had a grist and saw mill farther down the 
Elk at Roaring run on the Hogsett place, and John Hannah, 
known as Black John Hannah," operated a saw mill on Old 
Field fork of Elk. 

One of the early saw and grist mills of the county was 
erected at Clover Lick by Jacob Warwick, a pioneer settler in 
that section. This mill stood on the farm now o^vned by the 
Hon. C. P. Dorr. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



243 



Farther up the west side of the Greenbrier river at Stony 
Bottom an old mill, known as the Galford mill, where Adam 
Geiger's grist mill now stands, did the sawing for the inhabitants 
of that section. 

On Leatlierbark creek there were 2 sash saw mills, one owned 
by Allen Galford near Cass and the other about 5 miles up the 
creek owned by James Cassell. 

Hugh McLaughlin owned a water saw mill about 4 miles 
west of Durbin. 

Down on the east side of Greenbrier river Robert Gay built 
a mill and sawed white pine on Beaver creek at the point where 
the Underwood mill now stands. McCombs also had a saw mill 
on this creek. 

On the waters of Knapps creek John Bradshaw, a pioneer set- 
tler, built a saw mill just above Huntersville near the beginning 
of the last century, and about the year 1830 Geo. Craig erected 
a saw mill at the Gum Friel place. This mill, long known as the 
Barker and Friel mill, did good work and was run steadily for 
some time. Near Driscol, James T. Lockridge owned a saw mill 
which was built by Peter Lightner some time before the year 
1800. The lumber from this mill was hauled to the western 
part of the county. Some of the ceiling, weatherboarding and 
flooring, used by the late Alexander* W. Sharp in building one 
of the first frame houses in the county, was sawed on this mill 
and hauled by oxen for a distance of 20 miles. 

Washington Moore and Samuel Harper each had a saw and 
grist mill on Knapps creek. James Sharp built a saw mill in 
1825 near Frost on what is now the Aaron Sharp farm; and 
labout the same time Rev. James Wanless erected a mill on the 
John F. Wanless farm, and another on the Robert D. Mc- 
Cutcheon place about 1835. Logs used in the first M. P. church 
built in the county were squared on this mill. The mill at the 
place now known as Dilleys Mill, was erected by the pioneer, 
Henry Dilley, in 1830. 

At Dunmore on Sitlington creek Jacob Warwick built some 
ikind of a saw mill in the early pioneer period. Later Isaac 
Moore erected a mill, or rebuilt the Warwick mill, and operated 
it steadily for many years. During a part of the time this mill 
was kept running day and night in order to meet the demand 



244 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



for lumber there. Still later the Pritehards put up another mill 
at Dunmore; and another located on Sitlington creek about 5 
miles from Dunmore was owned by Lindy Taylor. 

'One of the first saw mills stood on Little Back creek, a 
branch of Deer creek, where Daniel Kerr, soon after he returned 
from the Eevolution, settled and built the mill and blacksmith 
shop which made his place the center of trade in that region for 
a time. In the early days, also, Benjamin Arbogast or his de- 
scendants, erected a saw mill at Greenbank; and 2 miles above 
on Deer creek at what is now known as the Heavener mill there 
has been a mill for over 75 years. Four miles above Greenbank 
Robert Brown still operates the only sash saw mill known to be 
running in the county. 

Over a hundred years ago John Yeager settled at Travelers 
Eepose and he and some of his descendants had a mill near that 
place. 

The first steam saw mill in the county was used during the 
Civil War by the Federal troops. According to Lieut. Waugh, 
the same mill was used in Upshur county. 

The first steam saw mill to do regular work in the county 
was put in operation in 1873 at Mace on the Dry fork of Elk by 
Dan, John, and Jake Garber, who came from Augusta county, 
Virginia. The cherry lumber sawed at this place Was hauled on 
wagons over Elk mountain and rafted down the Greenbrier 
river to Ronceverte. 

About 1875 John Marshall, also from Augusta county, 
moved a steam saw mill into Lower Pocahontas where it was in 
operation for some time. This mill is remembered by Levi 
Waugh as it stood near the town of Buckeye covered with mud 
after the flood of 1877. 

The first steam saw milling in the Dunmore section was 
done by a man by the name of Sherman. 

In 1830 Albert L. Whitmore started a steam saw mill in the 
county, and in 1882 Capt. Lokin, John Peters and Pritchard be- 
gan to operate a mill of the same kind at Clover Lick. Charles 
Callison located a steam saw mill in the Levels in 1885, and in 
the following year Uriah Bird, McClintic and Peters began an- 
other operation. After this James Gibson commenced a portable 
saw mill operation which he continued for many years. 



WEST VIEGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



245 



Other operators who deserve mention in connection with the 
portable saw mill industry prior to the coming of the railroads, 
are J. N. White, Jiles Sharp, Andy TVooddell, S. M. Gay, Frank 
Dilley and N. S. Duffield. 

Most of the valuable black walnut that grew on the low- 
lands of the county was cut and floated out on the Greenbrier 
during the decade from 1880 to 1890. 

Considerable white pine was cut, not only by means of the 
whip saw and water saw mills before mentioned, but for fence 
rails, shingles, puncheons, hewed frame timbers, and for all 
manner of wooden articles used about the homes of the early 
settlers. During a visit to the white pine region about Hunters- 
ville in the fall of 1909 Dr. A. D. Hopkins, of Washington, D. 
C, was informed that not less than 100 miles of worm fence 
had been built of white pine rails in that immediate vicinity. 

The first white pine that was cut in large quantities for 
commercial purposes was floated out of the county in the early 
seventies by Col. Cecil Clay, who, in company with James 
Waugh, made an examination of the timber in the white pine 
belt during a trip up the Greenbrier in 1867. His work was done 
principally by negroes and oxen. 

The Greenbrier Independent of March 11, 1871, gives an 
account of the incorporation of the Greenbrier River Boom, 
Lumber, Iron, Land, and Manufacturing Company, with James 
Caldwell, John A. Hunter, S. A. M. Syme, S. S. Thompson, R. 
P. Lake, S. C. Ludington, R. F. Dennis, Matthew Wallace, B. F. 
Harlow, and Jesse Bright, as members of the firm. The oper- 
ations of this company followed the work of Col. Clay and con- 
tinued until about the year 1882, when it was succeeded by the 
St. Lawrence Boom and Manufacturing Company, which at that 
time built its booms at Ronceverte. Much of the lumber was cut 
by Smith and Whiting and Whiting and Denny, and by Col. 
Dan. O'Connell, who afterward organized the Cumberland Lum- 
ber Company. 

The Chesapeake and Ohio railroad reached the county in 
1899, was extended up to Cass in 1901, to Durbin in 1902, and 
to Winterbum in 1905. The Coal and Iron railroad was extend- 
ed from Elkins to Durbin in 1903. Before the building of these 
railroads only a small beginning had really been made in the 



246 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



immense forests of the mountainous parts of the county; but 
with their coming began an active lumber industry which has 
continued to grow until today there are 14 huge band saw mills 
and about 26 circular saw mills in operation within the county. 
These, according to figures furnished by Mr. J. M. Paris, of 
Marlinton, have an approximate combined capacity of 350 mil- 
lion feet annually. Practically all the virgin forests of the 
county are in the hands of operators who have already made 
large openings and who are prepared to complete the cutting 
of all valuable timber within a comparatively few years. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

There are about 212,000 acres of virgin forest and 138,000 
acres of cut-over forest now remaining in the county. 

The forests lie in an almost solid body along the western 
side of the county and in the northern end, and in large scat- 
tered tracts on the east of Greenbrier river. The most extensive 
virgin areas are to be found on the waters of Cherry. Cranberry, 
Williams, and Elk rivers in the region adjoining Webster and 
Randolph coimties ; on the west face of the Alleghany mountains 
north of the village of Frost ; on both sides of the East fork of 
Greenbrier river in the region of Travelers Repose; and along 
the east side of Greenbrier river from Hosterman to the Green- 
brier county line. Smaller tracts are scattered among the areas 
of cut-over forest in nearly all sections. The largest areas of 
farm land lie in a broad, irregular belt on the northwest side of 
the Greenbrier river from Clover Lick to Spice Run, and in the 
smooth uplands and valleys which lie between the mountain 
ranges on the east of Greenbrier river. 

The white pine was nearly all cut and removed between the 
years 1882 and 1900. In the section about Huntersville, drained 
by tributaries of Knapps creek, there is a fairly good reproduc- 
tion of young white pines ; but in the region north of Dunmore 
fires have repeatedly burned over the ground destroying the 
seeds and seedlings; and the area which once contained a valu- 
able forest of white pine is growing up in scrubby oaks, chest- 
nuts, and other hardwoods. A few of the cut-over forest areas 
are in a good condition and others have been abandoned to the 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



247 



fires which frequently rage along the Coal and Iron railroad and 
in other sections. 

According to William T. Price, author of "Historical 
Sketches of Pocahontas County," "The climate of this county 
has passed through a great change in the past 80 or 90 years. 
It was once a rare thing for corn to ripen anywhere in the re- 
gion, and in planting it was the intention merely to have soft 
corn for use in fattening beef or pork in case the mast failed. ' ' 
In these days, since a considerable area of land has been cleared 
and cultivated during a long period of time, fine crops of corn 
and other grains are matured in every farming community. 



Cranberry Glades. 

The high region covering the western part oi Pocahontas 
county, drained by hundreds of clear mountain brooks that flow 
into the Cranberry, the Williams, the Gauley, and the Elk rivers, 
was once known as the "Wilderness" or the "Wilds of Poca- 
hontas," a region until recently overgrown with a dense, un- 
disturbed forest and abounding in game of many kinds. Here, ' 
in the midst of the "Wilderness" and on the border of the 
greatest forest remaining in the state, are the Cranberry Glades 
near the head of Cranberry river. 

There is, in reality, only one glade, containing from 250 to 
300 acres of deep, wet soil overgrown in some places with a 
thicket of shrubbery and in others carpeted with lichens, mosses, 
and sedge's. Within the glade there are 5 open spaces the names 
and areas of which are given below : 

Big Glade 56 acres. 

Flag Glade 20 acres. 

Long Glade 14 acres. 

Round Glade 8 acres . 

Little Glade 2 acres. 



Each open area is separated from the others by winding* 
and sluggish streams which are bordered by fringes of alder, 
hollies and other shrubs. 

There is, perhaps, no area of equal extent in West Virginia 
which is of greater importance for its influence on water flow, 



248 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



nor one more interesting to the student and collector on account 
of its varied forms of plant and animal life than this glady 
region lying at an elevation of 3,100 feet above the sea and sur- 
rounded by mountains which rise from 1,000 to 1,500 feet above 
it. 

A few of the characteristic species of plants, mammals and 
birds collected by a party which visited the Glades in July, 1909, 
are named below : 

Plants. 

Red Spruce, Picea rub ens. Abundant on margins of glades 
and on mountain summits. 

Quaking Aspen, Populus tremuloides. Growing on margin 
of glades. 

Mountain Ash, Sortus americana. Common around glades. 

Ground Hemlock, Taxus canadensis. Shrub growing abun- 
dantly in wet, shady places. 

Northern Rattlesnake Plantain, Epipactis repens var. 
ophioides. 

Collected by Dr. John L. Sheldon under a hemlock tree near 
the edge of the glades. 

Rose Pogonia, Pogonia opMoglossoides. Common in sphag- 
num moss in open glades. 

Horned Bladderwort, Utriciilaria cornuta. Found "growing 
in Big Glade. 

Round-leaved Sundew, Drosera rotundifolia. Common in 
open glades. 

Sphagnum Moss, Sphagnum Girgensdhnii Russ. This north- 
em species was found growing with other Sphagnums in the 
glades and collected by Dr. Sheldon. 

American Cranberry, Vaccmium macrocarpon. Common on 
edges of open glades. 

Small Cranberry, Vaccinium Oxycoccos. Abundant over all 
the open glades. A peculiar ''speckled" form of this berry was 
collected in Round and Flag glades. 

Mammals. 

Yellow-cheeked Meadow Mouse, Mdcrotus chrotorrJiinus. 
One specimen collected in July, 1909 on southern edge of 
glades by Fred E. Brooks. Not taken before south of the Adiron- 
dack mountains, New York. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 24:9 

Masked Shrew, Sorex personatus. Common in open glades 
and about their borders. 

Smoky Shrew, Sorex fumeus. Less common. 

Red-backed Mouse, Evotomys gapperi. Most abundant in 
wooded border of glades. 

Birds. 

Alder Flycatcher, Empidonax traillii alnorum. Collected 
on margin of Big Glade by Earle A. Brooks. 

Swamp Sparrow, Melospiza georgiana. Seen in alder 
thickets. 

Magnolia Warbler, Dendroica maculosa. Common. 
Barred Owl, Strix varia. Abundant. 

PRESTON COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Preston county was formed in 1818 from a part of Monon- 
galia. It is separated from Pennsylvania on the north by a 
portion of the Mason and Dixon line, and from J\laryland on 
the east by a line running north from the Fairfax Stone to the 
Pennsylvania line. Tucker, Barbour, Taylor and Monongalia 
join it on the south and west. Its area is 671 square miles or 
429,440 acres. 

Topography. 

Most of the county is high and not a little of it may be 
classed as mountainous. The principal mountain ridge enters 
on the extreme southwest from Barbour county and passes about 
3 miles west of Terra Alta. South of Cheat river this mountain 
is known as Laurel ridge and north of it as Briery mountain. 
Over most of the county the ridges have no regularity of form 
or trend. In many localities, particularly in the region north 
of Terra Alta, the surface spreads out into high, rolling uplands ; 
and in nearly all sections the tops of hills and mountains are 
smooth and the slopes gentle. In some places, however, as in 



250 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



the lower course of Cheat, the streams flow through deep 
canons with rugged and precipitous walls. 

The Cheat river, which flows north and northwest dividing 
the county into two almost equal parts, is the principal stream. 
Its chief tributaries from the east are Big Sandy creek, Muddy 
creek. Roaring creek, Saltlick creek and Wolf creek. Those 
from the west ar^ Bull run, Laurel run. Greens run, ]Morgan 
run, Lick run, Pringle run and Buffalo creek. A large area in 
the southwest is drained by the headwaters of Deckers creek, a 
tributary of the ]\Ionongahela emptying at Morgantown, and 
by Threefork and Sandy creeks emptying into Tygarts Yalley, 
the former at Grafton, the latter about 8 miles above. Rhine 
creek, SnoAvy creek. Muddy creek and Saltblock run, all tribu- 
taries of the Toughiogheny, drain a belt of land on the east. 

Original Timber Conditions. 

Preston was once an immense forest containing practically 
all the common hardwoods on its lower lands, and areas of 
spruce, white pine and hemlock along its cold mountain streams 
and uplands. The spruce grew principally on Snowy creek, 
the head of Saltlick creek, and in the vicinity of Cranesville. 
White pine was found in limited quantities near Cranesville 
and on Threefork creek. Pitch pine was once common on 
Snaggy mountain east of Terra Alta. Chestnut, poplar, white 
oak, red oak, chestnut oak, ash and hickory may be mentioned 
as the principal hardwoods. 

When the first settlers came into the Preston county area 
there were open glades scattered here and there in the wilder- 
ness that attracted their attention. There were the glades at 
Cranesville, at Reedsville and in the vicinity of Terra Alta, as 
well as those on Sandy creek and in several other places. Wash- 
ington speaks of the Sandy creek glades as having a ''pretty 
appearance, resembling cultivated fields and improved meadows 
at a distance.'^ "Here fire, storm, heat or cold had brushed 
away the forests and laurel thickets, and in their place waved 
long grasses and wild flowers on the highland mountain sum- 
mits. For scores of miles not a tree was to be seen save where 
little rivulets traced a course toward the Ohio or the Potomac. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 251 

These smiling meadows on the roof of the Alleghanies are not 
more popular with summer tourists to-day than with the large 
game-animals, the deer, elk and buffalo of a century ago. When 
the pioneers came the glades were the great pasture grounds 
for all who could reach them. ' '* 

The above description was written of the glades in Alle- 
ghany and Garret counties, Maryland, and Preston county, 
"West Virginia, but the "scores of miles" must refer to condi- 
tions outside the state as the open, grass-covered glades were 
comparatively small on the West Virginia side. Most of the 
glade land, in fact, was overgrown with shrubs and some of it 
with dense stands of trees. An example of, this was the Pine 
Swamp located on the Maryland line near the town of Cranes- 
ville, which had a forest of spruce, white pine, hemlock, wild 
cherry and tamarack. 

The Lumber Industry. 

Although settlements were made at Bruceton, Reedsville, 
Kingwood and Aurora before the beginning of the 19th century, 
**the whole country," says Major Orr, "was covered with tim- 
ber in 1840 except the small farm openings of the scattered 
settlements. ' 

Here, as in other counties, the pioneers made use of the 
excellent water-power of the mountain streams for the manufac- 
ture of lumber on primitive saw mills, used almost exclusively 
for the first 50 or 75 years. The names and locations of a few 
of the old saw mills are given below : 

Joseph Ringer's mill, on tributary of Muddy creek of 
Cheat. 

Zeller's mill, near the mouth of Roaring creek. 

Friend's mill, on Daugherty creek. 

Gaudy's mill, on Maple run. 

Thos. Waters' mill, on Raccoon creek. 

David Portney's mill, on Threefork creek. 

Henry Albright's mill, on Muddy creek of Youghiogheny. 

Browning's mill, on Muddy creek of Youghiogheny. 

Wakefield's mill, on Muddy creek of Youghiogheny. 

The first circular steam saw mill was brought to the county 
* "Washington and the West" — p. 120. 



I 



252 



CONDITIOXS BY COUNTIES. 



by James Cain, who began to operate it about 2 miles sontli of 
Tunnelton in 1854; the second was put in operation in 1865 by 
Maj. U. N. Orr about 2 miles east of Newburg; and 2 years 
later the third was brought in and stationed near Austin by 
Martin L. Shaffer. Soon after this — ^beginning about 1870 — 
portable steam mills began to scatter into all parts of the county. 

A. A. Perry and Company operated a gaag saw mill and 
stave factory at Eowlesburg from about 1870 to 1879. This 
mill was largely su.pplied with logs that were floated down the 
Cheat. 

Hinkle and Company did an extensive business vith a 
circular mill at Rowlesburg from 1885 to 1895. 

The stave industry was begun at Independence in 1853, the 
next year after the Baltimore and Ohio railroad was completed 
to that station. A company of Philadelphia lumbermen bought 
a large number of excellent white oak trees in that section and 
used and wasted them in this industry. Xearl^^ all the portable 
saw mills used their slabs and small timber in the manufacture 
of staves, in this way showing themselves less wasteful than 
many of the present operators. 

The tan-bark industry has been carried on from 1876 to 
the present. Chestnut oaks have been peeled in almost every 
section and the bark hauled in wagons to the Baltimore and 
Ohio railroad. 

There have been no operations larger than the gang saw 
operation at Eowlesburg; and practically all the timber cut in 
the county has been sawed on small portable mills, of which 
there are about 100 still in operation. 

Present Forest Conditions. 

There are scattered tracts of virgin timber in the county 
which aggregate about 30,000 acres. These lie almost entirely 
along the Cheat river and on Eoaring creek. Big Sandy creek 
and Laurel run. The narrow belt of margin timber lying along 
the steep bluffs of the . Cheat and lower course of Big Sandy 
creek is not good in quality nor easily accessible. The tracts 
lying on land which is not so steep, however, contain excellent 
stands of timber. The cut-over forest lands, aggregating about 

9 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



253 



58,000 acres, are found in several widely scattered areas, some 
lying on the Cheat river near the Tucker line, some on Brushy 
and Briery mountains, and others on the heads of Muddy run 
and on the Cheat near to the Monongalia line. 

Grains, vegetables and fruits are successfully grown in 
nearly all parts of the county and much of the remaining wood- 
land will probably be cleared for agricultural purposes. 

PUTNAM COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Putnam county, formed in 1848 from parts of Kanawha, 
Mason and Cabell, lies southwest of the center of the state and 
is separated from the Ohio river by Cabell and Mason counties. 
Its area is 355.3 square miles or 227,392 acres. 

Topography. 

The county is hilly throughout except in the broad bottoms 
of the Great Kanawha river and in the narrower bottoms of 
some of its tributaries and the tributaries of Mud river. A 
peculiar depression in the surface, known as Teays Valley, 
extends westward across the southern end of the county from 
the Great Kanawha river to the Mud river in Cabell county. 
This almost level belt of land, which contains from 3,000 to 5,000 
acres, was doubtless once the channel of the Great Kanawha 
river. Before the ice age, it is said, the Great Kanawha and the 
Big Sandy formed a river which flowed northward through the 
Scioto valley and discharged its waters into the Great Lakes. 

The Great Kanawha river flows northwestward passing 
not far from the center of the county. Its principal tributaries 
from the north are Eighteenmile creek, emptying at the Mason 
county line ; Buffalo creek 4 miles below Winfield ; Guauo creek 
about 4 miles above Winfield; and Pocatalico river emptying 
about 4 miles below the Kanawha county line. The southern 
tributaries of the Kanawha river are Little Hurricane creek 
and Hurricane creek, emptying about 1^ miles and 3 miles 
respectively below Winfield; and Twentymile creek emptying 



254 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



about 2 miles above Buffalo. A comparatively small area on the 
south is drained by Trace Fork and other tributaries of the 
Mud river, and a small area on the west is drained by Eighteen- 
mile creek, a direct tributary of the Ohio. 

Original Timber Conditions. 

The timbers of the county were principally hardwoods, the 
oaks, yellow poplar and beech predominating. The principal 
softwoods were yellow pine and red cedar. There were small 
quantities of white and scrub pine and hemlock. Mr. Louis 
Barnhart, of Winfield, gives the names of 40 hardwoods that are 
commonly found in his section, and speaks of oak, yellow poplar 
and yellow pine as timbers that deserve special mention on 
account of their abundance and good quality. A yellow poplar, 
said to have been 10 feet in diameter and 80 feet to the first 
limb, once stood in the southern end of the county. 

The Lumber Industry. 

Much of the rich bottom land and portions of the hill 
country were cleared by the early settlers many years before the 
timber had any commercial value. Only a small percentage of 
the heavy stand of timber could be utilized for log houses, fences, 
etc. and so the rest was rolled together in heaps and burned 
just as it was in all other pioneer settlements. The only lumber 
manufactured during these early times was sawed by hand- 
operated whip saws or by primitive water saw mills. The latter, 
however, were not used to a great extent as in many other coun- 
ties. Ventroux mill, which ran many years ago on Hurricane 
creek, was of this type. 

About the fi^rst timber cut for commercial purposes was 
split into barrel and pipe staves by the owners of woodland and 
sold for cash or traded for goods at the various stores located 
at Buffalo, Redhouse, Winfield, Poca, and other points along 
•the river. The merchants shipped most of the staves down 
the river in barges. This industry began before the Civil War 
and continued for 10 or 15 years. Later this grew into a large 
business. Buyers came in and bought and shipped staves from 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



255 



all points along the river and in many sections in the interior. 
Staves that were bought in the hilly sections were often floated 
down the creeks and runs and were loaded with those from the 
valley in barges at the river. Most of the staves were sold to 
Poston Stave Company. Stewart, Morrison and Company, and 
other coopers, made a large number of salt barrels at Winfield, 
Poca and other places, during the days when the Kanawha river 
salt furnaces were flourishing. 

An extensive sawed stave industry was carried on by D. G. 
Courtney of Charleston, approximately from 1885 to 1900, with 
mills at Eaymond City. Large quantities of oak growing on 
Pocatalico river and its tributaries were manufactured by him 
into oil barrel, firkin, tub and beer keg staves and shipped to 
Holland, Austria and other European countries. He also manu- 
factured lumber and cross-ties during the same period. 

The cutting of cross-ties and hoop-poles began early and 
continued for many years. Merchants bought cross-ties, just 
as they did staves, and shipped them in barges or by rail. This 
practice is stiU kept up t© some extent. 

Much oak and poplar VN-as cut and taken out in the log for 
ship timber between 1870 and 1900. Hanley Brothers were the 
chief purchasers of logs for this purpose. 

The rafting of logs to Huntington, Ironton, Cincinnati and 
other points was an important feature of the lumber industry 
for many years. Black walnut was taken out, principally in the 
log, on the river and by rail. 

Portable saw mills have been operating in the county for 
40 years or more and have had a large share in the reduction of 
the timber stand in all sections. Much of the oak was sawed 
into export and car stock, the latter going principally to the 
car works at Huntington. 

Merchants bought and shipped considerable tan bark 25 
years ago and some was bought by other purchasers. A quantity 
of bark was sold also to a company which loaded it on a boat 
provided with machinery for grinding and pressing it into 
cakes of a convenient size and shape for shipment. 

A few portable mills are still operating irregularly, some of 
which manufacture cross-ties and others lumber. 



256 ^ CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 

Two or three farmers along the river are keeping up groves 
of red cedar which produce profitable yields of excellent posts. 

Present Forest Conditions. 

Not far from half of the county is still wooded but there is 
but little good timber remaining. A few farmers have reserved 
small boundaries of good timber. Most of them, however, have 
disposed of even their young trees for cross-ties. 

Farmers own all the forest land in the county except a 
broken tract of 24,000 acres lying above Winfield and fronting 
on the Great Kanawha river; a tract of 10,000 acres owned by 
Whitehouse heirs who have leased same to coal companies; and 
about 2,200 acres owned by a coal company on the south side 
of the river 2 miles from Winfield. Scattered improvements 
are found in many parts of the forest tracts mentioned above, 
and an area of only about 4,500 acres, lying northeast of Win-' 
field can properly be classed as cut-over forest land. 

RALEIGH COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Raleigh county, formed from part of Fayette in 1850, is 
bounded on the north by Fayette, on the east by Summers and 
Mercer, and on the south and west by Wyoming and Boone. 
Its area is 560 square miles or 358,400 acres. 

Topography. 

The land now included within the boundary lines of 
Raleigh was once part of a great inland plateau which has been 
modified, in many places beyond recognition, by the action of 
streams and other natural agencies. New river, which forms 
the northeast boundary of the county, has cut a winding chan- 
nel through this plateau to a depth of more than 1,000 feet, and 
numerous tributaries of the Big Coal, the New and the Guyan- 
dot rivers have furrowed it deeply in all directions. An area 
of not less than 100,000 acres lying in the interior of the county 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



257 



still bears some resemblance, however, to its original form. But 
even here the slow-flowing streams have left their marks, chang- 
ing the once smooth and lofty plateau into a rolling upland. 

The greatest elevations of the connty are to be found along 
the mountains which border it on the south and west. Ivy Knob, 
on the southwest, rises to 3,693 feet, and in several places an 
elevation of 3,500 feet is reached along the Great Flat Top and 
White Oak mountains. Big Coal river leaves the county on the 
west at 900 feet, the lowest point ; New river, in the north, leaves 
at 1,150 feet, and Guyandot river, in the south, at 1,600 feet. 

New river, with Glade creek, Piney river and other smaller 
tributaries, drains the eastern third of the county. A smaller 
area on the north is drained by the head waters of Paint and 
Dunloup creeks, tributaries also of New river. Clear and 
Marsh Forks of Big Coal river drain the western side of the 
county, and Winding Gulf creek. Slab Fork and Tommy creek, 
tributaries of the Guyandot, drain a large area in the south. 
In the interior uplands are to be found the fountain heads of 
numerous small streams which wind sluggishly through glades 
and meadows and open woodlands. These finally unite their 
waters to form the creeks and rivers which descend through 
narrow, rocky gorges to the lower levels of the larger streams. 

The Former Forest Conditions. 

This county, with its greatly diversified surface, has been 
and is still the natural home of many species of valuable timber 
trees. Wliite pine once grew in abundance on about 50,000 
acres lying at an elevation of from 2,500 feet to 3,000 feet on the 
waters of Glade creek and Piney river. This area, with its exten- 
sion into Mercer county, formed one of the three principal 
bodies of white pine to be found within the state. Outside of 
the white pine belt, hemlock is the only softwood growing in 
large quantities. Yellow poplar and the oaks, principally white 
oak, are the most abundant of the valuable hardwoods. Per- 
centages of the principal timbers growing on two widely separ- 
ated virgin tracts will show to what extent the quantity of 
species varies in the different localities. The timber on a 30.000 
17 



258 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



acre tract on the waters of Big Coal river stands, approximately, 
as follows: 

Yellow Poplar 60 per cent. 

White Oak 10 per cent. 

Ked Oak \ 

Black Oak I . .10 per cent 

Chestnut Oak j 

Chestnut 

Maples 

White Ash 

Beech 

Hemlock 20 per cent. 

Birch 

Sweet Buckeye 

Hickory and 

others 



The percentages of species on an 18,000 acre tract on waters 
of Guyandot river are as follows: 

Yellow Poplar 35 per cent. 

White Oak 20 per cent. 

Bed Oak | 

Black Oak !^ 15 per cent. 

Chestnut Oak [ 

Hemlock 10 per cent. 

Chestnut 

Beech 

Hickory 

Maples 

Sweet Buckeye 

Basswood 

Cucumber, and 

others 

The Early Lumber Industry. 

Little can be said concerning the early cutting of lumber 
in Raleigh county. The first lumber, sawed by hand and on 3 
or 4 rude water saw mills, was used by the comparatively few 



20 per cent. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



259 



early settlers for domestic purposes. Not until 10 years or more 
after the close of the Civil War were portable steam saw mills 
put into operation in the county. These, for a number of years, 
sawed but little. From about 1888, however, numerous mills 
of all sizes have been brought in. A few of these are named 
below : 

Beatty Lumber Company, with a circular mill, cut white . 
pine near Crow on Beaver creek and Glade creek and trammed 
it to the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad at the mouth of Glade 
creek. 

Interstate Lumber Company, with circular mills, cut a 
large area on the head of Maple Meadow branch of Marsh Fork. 

Marsh Lumber Company has operated several circular mills 
on Marsh Fork of Big Coal river, cutting over a large area in 
that section. 

George Bair operated a circular mill on Piney river and on 
Marsh Fork waters. 

J. B. Earwood has been cutting on Piney river near 
Beckley. 

Raleigh Lumber Company, with a large band mill near 
Beckley, operated from 1898 to 1907. At that time the mill 
went into the hands of the W. M. Ritter Lumber Company 
which has since been running it. 

The Blue Jay Lumber Company, with a band mill, has 
cut over a large area of white pine and hemlock on Piney river 
and on Beaver and Glade creeks. 

The American Column and Lumber Company, with a band 
mill at Colcord, has been cutting on Clear Fork of Big Coal 
river. 

The Bowman Lumber Company, with a band mill at St. 
Albans in Kanawha county, has been engaged ia removing 
timber from a 60,000 acre tract in Raleigh and Boone counties. 

Many of the owners of small mills who operated in the 
county several years ago met with only indifferent success and 
often failure. Mills were brought in and erected at great 
expense and the lumber frequently had to be hauled on wagons 
a distance of 20 or 25 miles to the railroad. To this excessive 
cost of manufacture and the lack of proper shipping facilities 



260 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



are attributable, chiefly, the results to operators mentioned 
above. 

The principal shipping points for lumber have been Prince, 
McDonald and Raleigh, at first, and later the various stations 
along the Virginian railroad, and Surveyor on the Chesapeake 
and Ohio railroad. 

Most of the large streams of Raleigh are too rough and 
rapid for the rafting or drifting of logs. A few were drifted out, 
however, on the Coal river waters, 20 years ago or more and 
a few at the same time on the waters of Paint creek. 

The Present Lumber Industry. 

With the completion of the Virginian railroad through the 
county in 1907, and with the extension of the Chesapeake and 
Ohio branch to Lester in the same year, the lumber industry 
was greatly increased. These railroads, with another branch of 
the Chesapeake and Ohio now being built from Pemberton dov,n 
the Winding Gulf branch of Guyandot river, have entered the 
chief timber belt of the county. A band mill erected at Maben 
in Wyoming county in 1907 and the one at St. Albans, men- 
tioned above, are drawing their supply of logs from Raleigh 
county. These mills, including 3 band mills and numerous 
smaller mills now in operation, are making great inroads on the 
virgin forests. The combined capacity of all mills is not less 
than 60 million feet per year. If the cutting at this rate is 
continued for a few years the virgin areas will be cut over and 
the farmers ' woodlots and the sparsely timbered areas ransacked 
for every valuable tree. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

From the information obtainable in the short time allotted 
for investigation in this county, 117,600 acres are yet in virgin 
forest, 112,500 acres are cut-over forest and the remaining 
128,300 acres are cleared and woodlot lands belonging to farmers 
and other small owners. The virgin lands lie chiefly on the head 
waters of Piney river and on the waters of Guyandot in the 
southern part of the county, and on the waters of Big Coal river 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



261 



in the western part. Smaller areas are found in other places. 
The cut-over lands lie chiefly in the eastern part of the county. 
Large tracts are to be found, however, in the south-central, west- 
em and northwestern sections. 

All the white pine has been taken out except an area of 
about 2,000 acres on Piney river, now being vigorously cut, and 
a very small area lying near to Beckley, the county seat. The 
parts of the white pine belt not frequently visited by fire are 
restocking with a good stand of young trees. On most of this 
area, however, especially south of Piney river, recent fires have 
killed all the young white pines that had made a start. 

Forest fires, in general, have been most destructive on 
Beaver and Glade creeks and Piney river and on Clear Fork of 
Big Coal river. These burnt areas have only a meager growth 
of valuable young trees. Other cut-over lands have from 1,000 
to 2,000 feet of merchantable timber per acre and a fairly good 
stand of young hardwoods. 

RANDOLPH COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

''Randolph county was formed from Harrison in 1787 and 
included all the present county of Tucker, all of Barbour east 
of the river, all of Upshur east of Buckhannon river, and a con- 
siderable portion of Pocahontas and Webster. It lost territory 
in 1821 when Pocahontas was formed; again in 1843 when Bar- 
bour came into existence, and in 1851 it gave up some of its 
territory to Upshur, and five years later 350 square miles were 
cut off to form Tucker ; and in 1860 Webster took a strip ; and 
after all these losses Randolph still is the largest county in the 
state."* The county is located between the center and the 
eastern border of the state. Its area is 1,086 square miles or 
695,040 acres. 



*"History of Randolph County" — Maxwell. 



262 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Topography. 

The eastern line of the county follows the erest of the AUe- 
grany mountains. Westward from there the surface is ridged 
with several long, parallel mountains, the chief of which are 
Middle mountain, Shavers mountain, Cheat mountjain. Rich 
mountain and Laurel ridge. The region west of Bich mountain 
is high and uneven, and throughout the whole area of the county 
mountain peaks rise to a gerat height. The names and eleva- 
tions of some of the highest knobs and peaks are given below : 



Snyder knob 4,730 feet. 

High knob 4,710 feet 

Crouch knob 4,600 feet. 

Barton knob 4,600 feet. 

Green knob 4,600 feet. 

Sharp knob 4,545 feet. 

Tony Camp mountain 4,510 feet. 

Cunningham knob . . 4,485 feet. 

Brier Patch mountain 4,480 feet. 

Roaring Plains 4,400 feet. 

Ward knob . . 4,400 feet. 

Yoakun knob 4,330 feet. 

Bradshaw hill 4,320 feet- 
Gregg knob 4.310 feet. 

Elk mountain 4,300 feet. 

Huttons knob 4,260 feet. 

Bayards knob 4,150 feet. 

Haines knob 4,130 feet. 

Mingo knob 4,120 feet. 

Bickle knob 4,020 feet. 

Mast knob 4,000 feet 

Round knob 4,000 feet. 

Chenoweth knob 3,870 feet. 

Whitmans knob 3,800 feet. 

Little Beech mountain 3,700 feet. 

Shavers mountain 3,700 feet. 

Blue knob 3,700 feet. 



The level land of the county is found chiefly in the broad 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



263 



bottoms of Tygarts Valley river from Valley Head to a point 
about 2 miles below Elkins, and along Leading creek. The bot- 
toms of most of the creeks and rivers are very narrow. There 
are level or undulating uplands in several localities as Mingo 
Flats, near the head of Tygarts Valley river; Whitman Flats 
and Cranberry Flats, east of Rich mountain; and Roaring 
Plains, on the Alleghany mountains. 

The largest streams of the county flow northeastward be- 
tween the high mountain ridges named above. These, named in 
the order that one would cross them going from east to west, are 
Gandy creek, Dry Fork of Cheat, Laurel Fork of Cheat, Glady 
Fork of Cheat, Shavers Fork of Cheat, Tygarts Valley, Middle 
Fork of Tygarts Valley, and the Left and Right Forks of Buck- 
hannon. Space will not permit an enumeration of the large 
number of creeks and runs that are tributary to the rivers men- 
tioned. An area of considerable extent in the southern end 
of the county is drained by the headwaters of Elk and Holly 
rivers. The several large forks of Cheat, as well as the Elk, 
the Middle Fork, the Buckhannon and the Holly, are clear, 
rapid-flowing streams, and all the rivers and their numerous 
tributaries have their sources in the forests of the high moun- 
tains. The Shavers Fork of Cheat enters Randolph at an alti- 
tude of 3,700 feet and leaves at 1,765 feet, making a fall in its 
course through the county of 1,935 feet. It is pointed out in 
Maxwell's History of Randolph County that the fall of the 
waters of this stream in Randolph county is 170 feet more than 
in its course of about 3,000 miles through the Monongahela, the 
Ohio and the Mississippi from the Randolph line to the Gulf of 
Mexico. The enormous power of the water in the county is 
almost beyond computation. 

The Lumber Industry. 

Although there were settlements in Randolph county as 
early as 1772, most of the forest land remained undisturbed 
for a hundred years thereafter. Outside of the valleys of 
Tygarts Valley river and of Leading creek the territory was 
slowly occupied, being mostly high, mountainous land and unfit 
for farming purposes. 



264 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



The dwelling houses and out-buildings of all the pioneer 
settlers were constructed of logs for the first 50 years and only 
a few were built of sawed lumber for many years after that 
time. One or two water saw mills manufactured a meager sup- 
ply of lumber for the farmers of the upper Tygarts Valley in 
an early day. According to Maxwell's "History of Randolph 
County," "The first saw mill in Mingo was built by Edward 
"Woods and John Smiley at the Laurel Thicket, on H. C. Tolly's 
place near Valley Head, in 1822. The wagon which hauled the 
irons for the mill was the first that crossed the mountain to 
Mingo. It was driven by Augustus Woods, who cut the road 
as he came. ' ' This was one of the first saw mills in the county, 
and perhaps the only one for several years. Martin's list of 
1835 gives 1 saw mill in Randolph county. 

From about 1865 to 1895 there were a great many logs 
floated on the Cheat and Tygarts Valley rivers. The first tim- 
ber sold in the county was taken out by water. Some of the 
best poplar, ash, cherry and black walnut went in this way. 
Pardee and Curtin Lumber Company of Grafton got a large 
percentage of the logs floated on the Tygarts Valley, and those 
floated on the Cheat went largely to Rowlesburg and Point 
Marion. Dewing and Sons sawed some of the first spruce that 
was cut in West Virginia on a large circular saw mill located 
at Point Marion. CoL A. H. Winchester, with headquarters at 
Cheat Bridge, superintended the cutting of timber on the com- 
pany's extensive holdings on Shavers Fork from about 1888 to 
1896. The logs made the long journey from almost the head 
to the mouth of Cheat river. 

The steam saw mill industry began in the year 1878 when 
a portable mill was brought from Virginia and put in operation 
on Dry Fork of Cheat. Others soon followed this and by the 
year 1890 several were running in different parts of the county. 

A more active industry followed the building of the rail- 
roads which made accessible the great coniferous and hardwood 
forests. The principal railroad lines were built approximately 
as follows: 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



265 



From Beverly to Huttonsville .... 

From Newlon to Pickens 

From Roaring Cr. Jet. to Coalton 
From Elkins to Durbin 



From Parsons to Elkins 
From Elkins to Beverly 



1889. 
1891. 
1898. 
1892. 
1903. 
1903. 



Within the last 12 years the lumber industry has increased 
at an amazing rate. Huge band mills have taken the place of 
smaller operations in all the large forest areas and are now 
manufacturing lumber at the rate of a million feet a day. No 
fewer than 15 band mills located v/ithin the county and several 
on the outside, as well as a number of smaller portable saw mills, 
are cutting timber from the Randolph forests. Below are given 
the names of the band saw^ operations with the dates on which 
they began in the county : 

Parsons Pulp and Lumber Co., Horton, on Gandy Creek. .1894 

Holly Lumber Co., Pickens, on Buckhannon river 1900 

Tygart River Lumber Co., Millcreek, on Mill creek 1902 

Parsons Pulp & Lumber Co., Laneville, on Red creek 1905 

J. M. Bemis & Son, Bemis, on Shavers Fork 1905 

Glady Fork Lumber Co., Glady, on Glady Fork 1905 

Wheeler Lumber Co.. Glady, on Glady Fork 1905 

Moore, Keppel & Co., EUamore, on Middle Fork .1906 

Elkins Pail & Lumber Co., Elkins, on Tygarts Valley. . . .1906 

Brown & Hill, Montes, on Shavers Fork 1906 

Raine-Andrews Lumber Co., Evenwood, on Glady Fork... 1906 
Perley & Crockett Lumber Co., Jenningston, on Dry Fork. .1906 

United Lumber Co., Hazelwood, on Dry Fork 1908 

Wyoming Lumber Co., Laneville, on Red creek 1908 

Laurel River Lumber Co., Jenningston, on Dry Fork 1909 

A few of the large lumber companies which have already 
completed their operations in the county are given by Mr. C. W. 
Maxwell, of Elkins, as foUow^s: Morribell Lumber Company, at 
Morribell, 1901 to 1908; Beulah Lumber Company, at Beulah, 
1901 to 1908; McClure, Tyson & Irvin, at Glady, 1901 to 1909; 
J. B. Moore & Sons, at Gilman, 1901 to 1908; Mabie-McClure 



266 CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 

Lumber Company, at j\Iabie, completed work in 1908 ; Himmel- 
rick Lumber Company, at Coalton, 1895 to 1908 ; and Jennings- 
ton Lumber Company at Jenningston, sold to Laurel River 
Lumber Company in 1908. 

No definite data have been collected regarding the cutting 
of ties, poles, staves, shingles, etc. in the county, nor of the cut- 
ting of the large number of chestnut oaks for tan-bark. 

Present Forest Conditions. 

There are probably not far from 125,000 acres of cleared 
land in the county. Of this approximately one-half lies along the 
bottoms and foot-hills of the Tygarts Valley river and Leading 
creek, and the other half in the region of Helvetia on the south- 
west, in the mountainous limestone region on Dry Fork of Cheat, 
and in small farms scattered throughout the area. 

The great wgin forests — aggregating about 195,000 acres 
— lie principally on the Cheat waters east of the crest of Cheat 
mountain, and on the headwaters of Middle Fork river. It is 
said that about 85,000 acres of this contains spruce timber in 
varying quantities. Hemlock is found in abundance on almost 
every tract. There are almost 200,000 acres of cut-over forest 
land in the county. This lies in large and small areas through- 
out the forest region adjoining the lands which have not yet been 
cut over. In some sections, notably along Gandy creek and 
Glady Fork of Cheat, fire has killed the young growth that was 
left by the lumbemien and thousands of acres now contain 
nothing more valuable in the way of tree species than wild red 
cherries and yellow birches. In some places even these have 
been killed and a dense growth of blackberry briers and ferns 
have sprung up in their places. There is an area of large ex- 
tent on the Roaring Plains, where the eastern line of the county 
follows the crest of Alleghany mountains, which is almost en- 
tirely without vegetation of any kind. The frequent fires in 
the region not only destroyed the trees and shrubs but the soil 
also. 

Granting that there are 4 billion feet of timber yet stand- 
ing in Randolph county (a high estimate) there are enough 
mills now at work to cut every foot of it inside of 15 years. Some 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



267 



companies, however, own a sufficient quantity of timber to keep 
them operating a few years longer than that. According to in- 
formation obtained from the lumber companies listed above 
only 5 of them will be operating in the county 10 years hence 
and these will be nearing the completion of their work. Almost 
every acre of virgin forest in the county is in the hands of op- 
erators or is likely to be within a very short time. 

It is gratifying to note that at least one lumber company — 
the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company — is making ex- 
tensive plantations of spruce trees on its cut-over lands near the 
head of Shavers Fork of Cheat river. 

RITCHIE COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Ritchie county, formed in the year 1843 from parts of 
"Wood, Harrison and Lewis, lies northwest of the center of the 
State in the second tier of counties back from the Ohio river. 
Its area is 457 square miles or 292,480 acres. 

Topography. 

There are no high mountains and no broad valleys in the 
county. The whole area is uniformly hilly, the slopes being 
rough and steep in many places and in others smooth and less 
abrupt. At the point where Hughes river leaves the county on 
the southwest the elevation is 630 feet. King knob, 6 miles 
due south of Harrisville, rises to 1,200 feet. 

Every acre of the county is drained by the North and South 
Forks of Hughes river and by Goose creek a tributary also of 
Hughes river. The North Fork rises in the extreme northern 
comer and flows southwestward through the county for about 
50 miles. The larger of its 40 or more important creeks and 
runs, named from mouth to source, are Gillespie run, Addis run, 
Big run. Bonds creek, Rockcamp run, Lynneamp run and Bun- 
dle run. The South Fork of Hughes river enters the county 
from Doddridge and flows almost due west joining the North 
Fork near the southwestern comer of the county. Its principal 



268 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



tributaries are Macfarlan creek, Indian creek, Slab creek and 
"Whiteoak creek, flowing in from the north, and Bear run, 
Leatherbark creek, Grass run, Spruce creek, Bone creek and 
Otterslide creek, flowing in from the south. Goose creek flows 
south near the western edge of the county. 

Original Timber Conditions. 

Yellow poplar grew in all parts of the county, but not to 
as large a size as on some of the waters of the Little Kanawha 
river higher up. Wild cherry was plentiful near the forks of 
Hughes river and along many of the streams. Mr. John Cain, 
county surveyor of Ritchie, speaks of a wild cherry which had a 
clear trunk 83 feet in length and 30 inches in diameter near 
the ground. This tree grew on Gillespie run, a branch of North 
Fork. Basswood was found in abundance and of good quality 
at the bases of north hillsides in most sections. Yellow pine 
was common on ridges and flats. On low benches of hills and 
at the heads of coves the yellow pines grew to a large size. Oaks, 
including white oak, chestnut oak and black oak, were dis- 
tributed over the whole county. Other common timber trees 
were beech, chestnut, hickory and walnut. There were scat- 
tered clumps of white pine here and there and fringes of hem- 
locks grew along the colder streams. 

Christopher Gist, who passed with his ^exploring party 
down the North Fork of Hughes river in February, 1752, speaks 
of the land near Harrisville as "rich and well timbered with 
lofty "Walnuts, Ash, Sugar trees, etc. but hilly in most places." 

The Lumber Industry. 

The 2 principal outlets for the timber of Ritchie county 
are Hughes river and the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. 

Rafting and floating have progressed in the lower end of 
the county from about 1840 to the present. During the early 
years of water transportation all logs were rafted; but for 20 
years or more logs have been floated loose and caught in booms. 
It is stated that most of the timber cut from all points 10 miles 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



269 



south from the main line of railroad has gone out on the water, 
principally in the log and not as sawed lumber. 

Before the completion of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad 
through the county and to Parkersburg in 1857 there had been 
a lumber industry that supplied local demands only, except that 
a quantity of hoop-poles and tan bark had been hauled in wag- 
ons to St. Marys on the Ohio river, and that considerable raft- 
ing had been done on the lower water courses. 

There were several water-power sash saw mills running in 
the county during its early settlement. Some of those on the 
North Fork of Hughes river were Malone's mill, near Harris- 
ville, and Liggett 's mill, Heaton's mill and McGregor's mill, at 
other points below. Besides these there were the 2 Wells mills 
and 4 others belonging to a man by the name of Preble. On the 
South Fork were the Hugil mill, the Nebbo mill, and the Sen- 
nett mill. 

A more active lumber industry began with the building of 
the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, before referred to. 

Large numbers of hewed and sawed ties were cut, all being 
taken by the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. Some of these were 
used in the construction of their line through the county and 
some were shipped east. In later years Pittsburg has become 
the principal market for cross-ties. 

There has been an extensive split and sawed stave industry. 
A stave factory located at Pennsboro built a tramway to Har- 
risville which carried oak timber to their plant from a large area 
in the interior. Many staves have been shipped by various op- 
erators from Cairo, Petroleum, Cornwallis, EUenboro and other 
stations along the railroad in the county. Joel Beckwith has 
been one of the most extensive operators in Ritchie, as well as 
in Wirt, Wood and Calhoun counties. 

Portable saw mills were brought to the county soon after 
the railroad was built and began to saw lumber, cross-ties and 
staves. There were comparatively few operations, however, un- 
til after the year 1870. Since that date most of the timber that 
remained has been sawed on small mills, 

A shingle factory at Pennsboro manufactured a large num- 
ber of poplar and oak shingles. 



270 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Present Forest Conditions. 

All of tlie forests remaining in the county have been culled 
except a few small boundaries, none of which contains more 
than 75 acres. The cut-over forests, aggregating about 14,000 
acres, are in areas ranging in size froTi 100 acres to 5,000 acres 
and are scattered promiscuously throughout the southern and 
western sections. 

In Grant and Murphy, the 2 districts embracing the western 
half of the county, the areas of farmers' woodlots are consider- 
ably in excess of their cleared lands: but in Clay and Union 
districts, the percentage of cleared land is much higher. Taken 
as a whole, about one-half of the county is still covered with 
woodland, most of which is owned by farmers and has but little 
valuable timber. In most sections, however, there is a good 
stand of hardwoods that have almost reached the cross-tie size. 

ROANE COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Eoane county was formed in 1856 from parts of Kanawha, 
Jackson, and Gilmer and is situated in the western part of the 
State near the base of the Alleghany Plateau. Its area is 486.2 
square miles or 311,168 acres. 

Topography. 

The surface of the county is diversified by a succession of 
hills and narrow valleys. The elevation at the points where the 
several rivers and creeks flow from the county are as follows: 
Pocatalico river, 620 feet; Big Sandy creek, 620 feet; West 
Fork of Little Kanawha river, 620 feet; Right Fork of Sandy 
creek 640 feet; and Reedy creek, 670 feet. All the streams have 
a moderate fall through the county, flowing slowly at eleva- 
tions varying from 620 feet to about 800 feet. Most of the sum- 
mits of the hills and ridges rise to 1000 feet, and from that ele-. 
Vation up to 1,500 feet in some places near the southeastern 
border. In most sections of the county the slopes are gradual 
and the hilltops and ridges well-rounded and smooth. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 271 

The drainage system of the county is somewhat complex. 
All of the water finally reaches the Ohio river, however, some 
streams flowing directly into it and in other cases reaching it 
through the Little Kanawha and the Great Kanawha rivers. 
The northern half of the county is drained by the West Fork 
of the Little Kanawha river, by Spring creek and by Reedy 
creek, tributaries of the Little Kanawha, and by the headwaters 
of Sandy creek and Mill creek, which flow west into the Ohio 
river. The southern half is drained' principally by Big Sandy 
creek and Little Sandy creek, tributaries of Elk river, and by 
Pocatalico river, a tributary of the Great Kanawha. 

The Original Forest Conditions. 

The principal timbers of the county were hardwoods. Those 
that deserve special mention on account of their abundance and 
good quality are white oak, yellow poplar, chestnut, hickory, 
black walnut and white ash. Other abundant species of less 
value were sugar and red maple and beech. There were smaller 
quantities of basswood, black oak, red oak, black gum, chestnut 
oak, black cherry, white elm, slippery elm, sycamore, and others. 
Pitch pine grew to some extent on dry hills, and there was a 
little yellow pine on the western side near the Jackson county 
line. Hemlock was rarely found. 

The Lumber Industry. 

The first timber taken from the county was drifted out on 
the Pocatalico river, on Spring creek, and on Reedy creek. The 
drifting logs were caught in booms which had been constructed 
near the mouths of the streams named. The logs from Spring 
and Reedy creeks were rafted on the Little Kanawha to Park- 
ersburg, and those from Pocatalico river to Point Pleasant, Cin- 
cinnati and other points along the Ohio river. Some of the tim- 
ber was sold in the tree to companies, but, in most cases, the 
logs were bought and branded after they had been cut in the 
winter by the landowners. During the spriag freshets the logs 
were drifted to the mouths of the streams and delivered to the 
purchasing companies. The period of most active floating was 



272 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



from 1878 to 1892. There were large numbers of cross-ties and 
split staves floated with the logs during the same period. Some 
of these were sold direct to companies and others went through 
the hands of local merchants. 

There were a few small saw mills in operation as early as 
1865. These sawed lumber almost exclusively for local use. An 
increase in the number of saw mills followed the completion of 
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to Spencer in 1892. Since that 
time most of the good timber of the county has been sawed and 
shipped out. 

Several stave mills were put in operation about the time of 
the building of the railroad. The 3 most prominent operators 
were, J. W. Depew, who sawed on Reedy creek; Bert. England, 
who sawed on Spring creek; and Judge Lewis, who sawed on 
Sandy creek. 

A part of the chestnut oak tan-bark peeled in the county 
was used at 3 small tan yards. The rest was shipped over the 
railroad. 

There has been an extensive hoop-pole and cross-tie indus- 
try in the county for the last 30 years. 

Much of the good oak was exported for ship-building pur- 
poses. In 1901 J. D. Seaman, operating on Reedy and Spring 
creeks, and Ball and Dudley on Pocatalico river, cut and shipped 
about 7,000 pieces of square oak. 

Present Forest Conditions. 

The county is nearly all owned by farmers. From 65 to 
75 per cent of the land has been cleared for agricultural pur- 
poses. The farmers' woodlots which are remote from shipping 
points, especially in the southeastern section, have some good 
timber remaining. This is being rapidly cut for use in the oil 
"fields of the county. Woodlots which are near to market have 
been stripped of almost everything except a few hoop-poles and 
inferior cross-ties. 

There are 2 tracts, 1 in Smithfield district of a little less 
than 3,000 acres, and another in Spencer district of about 2,000 
acres, that may be classed as cut-over forest. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



273 



There is no virgin forest except a few very small areas 
owned by farmers. 

SUMMERS COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Summers county, formed from parts of Mercer, Monroe, 
Greenbrier, and Fayette counties, lies in the southeastern part 
of the State and is bounded on the north, east and south by the 
counties from which it was formed and by Raleigh on the west. 
Its area is 368 square miles or 235,520 acres. 

Topography. 

The mountainous surface of the county is deeply dissected 
by the channels of many swift-flowing streams. Wolf Creek 
mountain, White Oak mountain and Keeney mountain are the 
highest in the county. The first has an elevation of about 3,000 
feet and the others rise from 500 to 700 feet higher. Forest 
Hill and Talcott districts contain the smoothest land and also, 
with Green Sulphur district, compose the richest agricultural 
section. Greenbrier, Jumping , Brancli and Pipestem districts 
are rough, but contain a large acreage of good grazing and tilla- 
ble land. 

New river courses through the center of the county, enter- 
ing at its extreme southern corner and flowing out on the north- 
west. The Greenbrier river, flowing from the northeast, emp- 
ties into the New at Hinton; and the Bluestone river, entering 
from Mercer, empties on the opposite side from the Greenbrier 
and about 4 miles above the latter 's mouth. 

Former Timber Conditions. 

According to Mr. J. C. James, a pioneer lumberman, the 
county was not as well timbered, originally, as some of the other 
interior counties of the State. It is fair to state, however, that 
prior to the beginning of any lumber operations, and before the 
area was visited by even the pioneer lumbermen, a large per- 
18 



274 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



centage of the rich land, where the best timber grew, had been 
cleared and the trees destroyed. Following are some of the 
timber trees mentioned by the older residents of Summers 
county : 

White oak — The principal timber. 

Chestnut oak — Common on dry ridges. 

Poplar — Not generally abundant but good on Madams 

creek and in some other localities. 
Red oak — Common in rich ground. 
Basswood — Common. 
Buckeye — Common. 
Walnut — Common. 
Hickory — Common. 
Ash — Common. 
Cucumber — Not common. 
Beech — Not common. 
Birch — ^Not common. 
Maples — Not common. 

White pine — Small areas on Bluestone river. 
Pitch pine — Occasionally seen on high ground. 
Hemlock — Of good quality and common along streams. 

^ The Lumber Industry. 

The building of the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad 
through the county in 1872 marked the beginning of an active 
lumber industry. Before that time," says Judge James H. 
Miller, of Hinton, there had been no shipment of logs or sawed 
lumber — ^not even of walnut. All the trees that had been cut 
were either burned or made into fence rails etc. by the pioneer 
farmers, or else manufactured by the rudest methods then em- 
ployed into rough boards for domestic use." 

A large quantity of the best oak has been manufactured 
into split and sawed staves. Most of these have been sold to 
the Standard Oil Company through Theodore Astor, their pur- 
chasing agent. The sawed stave industry began about the year 
1873. In those days large numbers of staves were hauled in 
wagons from the stave saw mills, working back from the rail- 
road, and shipped from the various stations. The Doan Cooper- 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



275 



age company manufactured staves for their own use for a few 
years. Three or four stave saw mills are still operating in a 
small way from place to place. 

Portable saw mills came in with the railroad and have been 
numerous for 35 years. The Wm. James Sons Company has 
had a large circular mill at Hinton since 1877. This mill has 
cut an immense quantity of timber from the Blues tone and 
from others waters. The only other important operation at 
Hinton was that of J. P. Mills who operated a small mill there 
for about 10 years. 

The Crosby-Beckley Lumber Company had a large circular 
saw mill on Lick creek, and mills at other points, about 12 
years ago. 

The walnut timber has been largely exported. Samuel 
Smith and C. A. Fredeking were two of the principal exporters, 
the former buying extensively in Green Sulphur district, and 
the latter buying from various localities and exporting to Ger- 
many. 

The present lumber industry consists, principally, of 1 
large band saw operation at Glenray — running since 1905 — 1 
large circular saw operation at Hinton, and of about 30 small 
lumber and stave operations scattered throughout the county. 
The smaller mills run irregularly, sawing small sets for farmers. 

Present Forest Conditions. 

There are about 3,800 acres of virgin forest remaining in 
the county. This lies in scattered areas of a few hundred acres 
each, principally on the waters of Bluestone river, in the south- - 
em part, and between Lick creek and Meadow creek on the 
north. One virgin area on the Bluestone, containing 200 acres, 
has about 60 per cent of white pine. In all the others hard- 
woods of various kinds predominate. 

The cut-over forest lands comprise an area of about 7,800 
acres. The largest area contains 4,000 acres and lies on Green- 
brier river waters in the eastern part of the county. The other 
cut-over lands are scattered, like the virgin areas, in the south- 
western, western, and northern sections. 

Most of the land is owned by farmers who have an average 



276 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



of about 100 acres each. It is estimated that about 40 per cent 
of all the farm land has been cleared. The wooded portions of 
the farms have, in most cases, been stripped of the best timber. 
A few remain that are exceptions to the general rule. 

The land unfit for agriculture is variously estimated at from 
10 to 20 per cent. 

TAYLOR COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Taylor, formed in 1844 from parts of Harrison, Barbour 
and Slarion, is a small county joined on the north by Marion, 
on the east by Preston, on the south by Barbour, and on the 
west by Harrison. Its area is 132 square miles or 84,480 acres. 

Topography. 

Lying some distance west of the mountainous part of the 
state, Taylor county has an irregular, hilly surface. In large 
areas of Flemington, Courthouse, and Booths Creek districts, 
and smaller areas in other districts, the land is comparatively 
smooth and easily cultivated. The lower end of Booths Creek 
district and the parts of the county adjoining Preston are more 
uneven and the elevations are greater. 

Tygarts Valley river flows northwest dividing the county 
into almost equal parts. Its chief tributary is Threefork creek, 
rising in Preston county and emptying at Grafton. Other 
smaller tributaries of the river are Lost run. Otter creek, Berke- 
ley run and Pleasant creek, flowing in from the south, and 
"Wickwire run and Sandy creek, flowing in from the north. 

Original Forest Conditions. ' 

Most parts of the county have been occupied and improved 
by farmers for many years ; and it is not possible to state defin- 
itely what timbers predominated in the original forests. We are 
safe in stating in a general way, however, that the area was 
well timbered with hardwoods of the kinds that are still found 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



277 



throughout all the hill regions of the state. A well-informed 
resident of the county makes the claim that the best white oak 
timber in West Virginia once grew here. This claim is made, 
however, for almost every county in central, western and south- 
em West Virginia and should be taken to indicate simply that 
this timber was plentiful and of good quality and large size. 
The softwoods found both east and west of this county were 
not common. A few hemlocks were scattered along the streams 
and an occasional clump of pitch pines grew on the high ridges. 

The Lumber Industry. 

The first commercial use of timber in this county, of which 
we have any knowledge, was for the production of charcoal used 
by the old iron furnaces in Taylor and Preston counties about 
the year 1800. Areas cut over for this purpose have grown up 
with a good stand of timber trees and many of them have been 
re-cut for lumber and cross-ties. 

In the years following 1820, and before any saw mills were 
operating in the county, a large quantity of excellent white oak 
was taken out in the form of hewed ship timber. This was 
hauled to the Monongahela river and rafted to Pittsburg. 

About the year 1869 A. P. Westerman built a large circular 
saw mill and stave plant 7 miles east of Grafton at the little 
town which still bears his name. This mill, which ran for 10 
years or more, was among the first to manufacture lumber on a 
large scale in the county. 

J. C. Painter & Brother operated from 2 to 5 circular mills 
for several years preceding 1905. This firm got out also a large 
number of split staves, most of which were exported to Europe. 

Beginning about 1870 a large water power saw mill, known 
as Bradshaw's mill, was operated at Valley Falls. The supply 
of timber for this mill was obtained from the owners of smaU 
tracts of forest land in Taylor and Marion counties and was 
hauled to the mill on wooden tramways. In later years logs 
were floated on the Tygarts Valley river from points as high up 
as Philippi in Barbour county. After a successful operation of 
about 30 years the plant was leased to Theodore Bush, Brad- 
shaw having been appointed as a purchasing agent of the Baiti- 



278 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



more and Ohio railroad. Bush continued to operate as his pre- 
decessor had done, getting his logs from lands high up on the 
Tygarts Valley river, until the mill was about worn out and the 
timber supply exhausted. 

Capt. G. W. Curtin built a large band mill at Grafton and 
operated it for several years about 25 years ago. His supply of 
logs came chiefly from points on the Tygarts Valley river above 
the boundaries of Taylor county. 

C. G. Blatchley operated a pump factory and planing mill 
for many years at Grafton. 

Numerous portable saw mills have been operating in the 
county for 30 years. There are about 25 small mills still run- 
ning irregularly — a sufficient number to cut every good tree 
left in this small county within the next 5 years. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

Farmers own all the land of the county, and the forest land 
remaining is in scattered woodlots. In some sections at least 75 
per cent of the land is cleared. This is true in the best agri- 
cultural areas adjoining Harrison and Barbour counties. In 
other sections the percentage of cleared land is much smaller, 
and here the farmers have reserved considerable good timber. 
Many woodlots, it is said, have 5,000 feet per acre of sound oak, 
hickory, and other timber, still standing on them. 

TUCKER COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Tucker county, formed from part of Randolph in 1856, 
lies south of Preston, east of Barbour, and west of Grant county. 
Its area is 440 square miles or 281,600 acres. 

Topography. 

The whole area of the county is included within the boun- 
dary of that part of the Appalachian Province known as the Al- 
leghany Highland and lies between the crests of Canaan and 
Alleghany mountains on the east and the northern portion of 
Laurel ridge on the west. Some 2 miles southward from the 
point on the Alleghanies where the eastern boundary line turns 
abruptly to the northwest and crosses the Stony river and Red 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



279 



creek watershed to the crest of Canaan mountain, the county 
attains its greatest elevation, 4,300 feet. The lowest ground is 
found where the Cheat river leaves the county at an elevation 
of 1,469 f^et. Between these two altitudes the downward slope 
of the land surface, toward the northwest from the Alleghanies 
and toward the northeast from the less elevated crest of Laurel 
ridge, is interrupted by numerous mountains and plateaus and 
by the deep channels of streams. The principal mountains with- 
in, or partly within, the county are the Alleghany, the Canaan, 
and the Brown mountains in the eastern part; Shavers moun- 
tain which extends into the county just west of Glady Fork; 
Green mountain, partly enclosed by Otter creek, a tributary of 
Dry Fork ; McGowans mountains, between Otter creek and Elk- 
lick run; Fork mountain, east of the lower part of Shavers 
Fork; Pheasant mountain and Laurel ridge on the west; Lime- 
stone mountain on the right of Cheat river where it leaves the 
county and Backbone mountain in the center. Some of the 
mountains named conform to the general trend of the Appa- 
lachian System and others break away at all angles and extend 
irregularly between numerous tributaries of the Cheat. 

''Some miles beyond the Backbone, on the head branches of 
Cheat river, there is an elevated region of about one hundred 
thousand acres of land from time immemorial called the Land 
of Canaan."* The region here referred to is the southern end 
of an elevated plateau which lies in a broad belt westward from 
the crest of the AUeghanies through the counties of Tucker and 
Grant. This area, with an average elevation of about 3,000 feet, 
forms in the county the principal plateau region and is one of 
its most striking physical features. 

The county is drained entirely by the waters of the Cheat 
river, the main stream of which flows through the west-central 
portion of the county in a north-easterly direction. Its princi- 
pal tributaries are Clover run and Minear run, which empty 
into the river from opposite sides near the town of St. George; 
Horseshoe run, which empties into the river a short distance 
above the ' ' Island ' ' ; Shavers Fork which, with Big Blackwater, 
forms the main stream at Parsons, the present county seat; 
Elklick run which empties into the river at Hambleton; Dry 



* Maxwell's Hist, of Tucker Co. 1884, p. 168. 



280 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Fork which joins the Blackwater at Hendricks; and Otter 
creek and Glady Fork, tributaries of Dry Fork. Blackwater is 
the only large tributary of the Cheat which rises, with all its 
branches, inside the boundaries of the county. The principal 
tributaries of this stream are the Little Blackwater, followed by 
the "Western Maryland Eailroad and emptying into the river 
about 1 mile below Douglas; Beaver creek, emptying at Davis; 
and, farther up, the smaller tributaries of its upper course. The 
Blackwater and its tributaries drain the entire area of the plat- 
eau which covers the eastern part of the county. Through this 
they flow sluggishly falling not more than 100 feet in a dozen 
miles. But, on reaching a point about 1 mile below the town of 
Davis, the river plunges over the southern rim of the plateau 
and, by a succession of picturesque cataracts and rapids, de- 
scends 1,350 feet in a distance of 10 miles. From the mouth of 
the Blackwater to the point where the Cheat river leaves the 
county its fall is about 250 feet. This descent is not made regu- 
larly but, in part, by a number of shoals occurring at irregular 
intervals. 

The Original Timber Conditions. 

The greatly diversified character of the Tucker county area, 
with its rich river bottoms, its lofty plateaus and mountains, 
together with its unusual range of altitude, fit it for the exist- 
ence of a remarkable forest growth. "When the old pioneers 
first settled the bottom lands along the river, they found there 
the most gigantic oaks, hickories, walnut and other timbers."* 
The ''other timbers" here mentioned would include such trees 
as the yellow poplar, basswood, white ash, sycamore, sweet buck- 
eye, and the birches, maples and others usually associated with 
them. Hemlock, the most abundant timber of the county, grew 
in nearly all sections. White pine grew plentifully on Horse- 
shoe run, Upper Dry run, Mill run and Clover run, as well as 
on the southern exposures along Haddix creek and on benches 
and faces of the Cheat river hills from Hendricks to St. George. 
It was found in greatest abundance on Horseshoe run, up which 
it extended for a distance of not less than 7 miles. The original 
stand of white pine in Tucker county was probably not far from 
15 or 20 million feet. West of Backbone mountain the land was 



* Maxwell's Hist, of Tucker Co., p. 139. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



281 



well timbered in sugar maple forming what were called the * ' Su- 
gar Lands." Large areas of red spruce once existed in the 
county. These lay on the high mountains in the southern part 
and eastward from Backbone mountain, covering most of the 
higher land of the eastern half of the county. If we approxi- 
mate the original stand of all timber at 5,000 feet to the acre 
the county must have contained almost a billion and a half feet. 
The principal species of timber trees of Tucker county are given 
below with percentages to show their relative abundance: 



Hemlock 20 per cent. 

Red Spruce 10 

Yellow Poplar 10 

Sugar Maple 10 " 

Beech ....12 

White Oak ^ 

Red Oak | 

Chestnut Oak ^...15 

Black Oak j 

Scarlet Oak J 

Chestnut 7 

Hickory 3 

Sweet Birch 

Yellow Birch 

White Ash 1 

Black Walnut 1 

Black Cherry 1 

Red Maple 

Black Gum 

Basswood 

Cucumber 

Locust 

Sycamore ) • • • 4 

Sweet Buckeye 

Slippery Elm 

White Walnut 

Black Ash 

Balsam Fir 



2 



282 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



These percentages can be applied to the present stand ex- 
cept that the white pine has practically all been removed and the 
yellow poplar, red spruce, hemlock, and all the valuable oaks ' 
greatly reduced. This has had the effect of raising the percent- 
ages of the less valuable timbers such as beech, birch and maple. 

Settlements and Farm Lands. 

Probably the first white man to see the present territory of 
Tucker county was William Mayo in 1745. He was on the head 
of Little Blackwater in that year surveying lands of Lord Fair- 
fax who owned a few thousand acres there. In 1762 Capt. James 
Parsons passed through the territory by way of the Horseshoe 
on his return from captivity by the Indians. This was believed 
to be one of the earliest visits to this section but, according to the 
latest research of Mr. Hu Maxwell, the Horseshoe was known and 
its strategic importance recognized in 1755. It is stated in 
Withers' ''Border Warfare" that John and Samuel Pringle, de- 
serters from the army at Fort Pitt, and J ohn Simpson, a trapper, 
crossed the Cheat river at the Horseshoe in 1764. The first set- 
tler in the county was John Crouch in 1766 on the site of Par- 
sons, the county seat. The next was Capt. James Parsons in 
1769, in the Horseshoe, followed by Thomas Parsons in 1772. 
Soon after this colonies were established at various points along 
the Cheat. As late as 1840, however, there were few settlements 
except along the Cheat and in the narrow bottoms of the larger 
creeks toward the northern end of the county. From about 1860 
until the present settlement by farmers of the tillable portions 
of the county has progressed more rapidly. The lands now oc- 
cupied as farms lie, principally, in Licking and Clover districts 
in the northern part of the county, with narrow strips and irregu- 
lar areas in St. George and Black Fork districts, and areas of 
considerable extent in Dry Fork district, along the Dry Fork of 
Cheat, and in the upper portion of Canaan Valley. 

Much of the land so far cleared is productive and, in the 
lower sections especially, grains and vegetables of all kinds are 
grown. The limestone sections, particularly the upper end of 
Canaan Valley, produce excellent blue grass and such other crops 
as oats, buckwheat and potatoes. Other portions of the county 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



283 



are yet to be reclaimed for fanning purposes. Much of the coun- 
ty not yet improved lies at so great an elevation, however, that 
only a very limited number of farm products can be successfully 
raised. Fully 25 per cent of the county is non-agricultural. The 
position of the area is such as to give it great importance from the 
standpoint of water supply and for this reason, if for no other, 
certainly not less than from SS to 50 per cent of it should be 
kept permanently in forest. 

The Present Timber Conditions. 

Of the unimproved part of the county, about 56,000 acres 
are still in virgin forest, and 130,000 acres are cut-over forest. 
The largest bodies of virgin timber lie along the Alleghanies, in 
the southeastern section, and between the Dry Fork and Black- 
water Fork of Cheat. The balance is scattered in areas of from 
a few acres to 4,000 or 5,000 acres along the southern border 
and the right hand side of Shavers Fork, at the southern end of 
Backbone mountain, and, farther north, on the waters of Horse- 
shoe run. As a rule the cut-over lands are cleared of everything 
merchantable, except in the western side of the county, and are 
badly burned, as will be mentioned in the discussions of condi- 
tions prevailing in the vicinity of Davis. 

The Land of Canaan. 

The region before referred to as the Land of Canaan is de- 
serving of special mention on account of the remarkable condi- 
tions that existed there, originally, and because of the great 
changes that have taken place since the beginning of its ex- 
ploitation by lumbermen less than 30 years ago. The portion 
of this area now called Canaan, or Canaan Valley, is a high 
basin containing some 25,000 acres lying between Canaan 
mountain on the east, and Brown mountain, through which the 
Blackwater river has cut its way. Originally, that part of the 
plateau lying north of the Blackwater and stretching north- 
westward across Little Blackwater to the base of Backbone 
mountain, was called Canada to distinguish it from Canaan on 
the other side. 



284 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Harper's Magazine for December, 1853, (Vol. YIII, p. 18) 
contains a sketcli in which this region is spoken of in the fol- 
lowing somewhat exaggerated terms: "In Randolph County, 
Virginia, there is a tract of country containing from seven to 
nine hundred square miles, entirely uninhabited, and so inac- 
cessible that it has rarely been penetrated even by the most ad- 
venturous. The settlers on its borders speak of it with dread, 
as an ill-omened region, filled with bears, panthers, impassable 
laurel brakes and dangerous precipices. Stories are told of 
hunters ha^dng ventured too far, becoming entangled, and per- 
ishing in its intricate labyrinths. ' ' The region is also described, 
in somewhat similar terms, in a volume called "The Black^vater 
Chronicle," (New York, 1853) which treats of a hunting trip 
to the locality in question, and a brief allusion to it will be 
found in "Picturesque America." (Vol. I, pp. 390, 391). 

The recorded impressions of visitors who saw this region in 
its original, wild state, if slightly exaggerated, are suggestive 
at least of the denseness of the forests which covered it then. 
It is probable that nowhere in West Virginia, nor in the United 
States, according to Major Hotchkiss, an authority on the re- 
sources of the Virginias, did there exist a more luxuriant growth 
of spruce and hemlock than over a large part of this area. ' ' The 
trees were as straight as an arrow and frequently rose to a 
height of 120 feet or more. In places their branches were so in- 
terwoven that they formed a thick, dark shade, which, in the 
summer season, was most delightful, but in winter, when the 
sombre branches were droopiag with snow, the prospect was 
gloomy beyond description." 

Disturbances in Canaan. 

Canaan Valley and the surrounding plateau country re- 
mained practically undisturbed until 1863. That year a forest 
fire occurred which, with other ''burnings" started by hunters, 
destroyed the spruce timber on a large area. In 1877 a storm 
swept a narrow path through the heart of the spruce belt, ex- 
tending eastward from Dobbin Mansion for a distance of 6 or 8 
miles. From this windfall other fires started and spread through 
the forest. The timber suffered in 1882 from a severe drouth. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



285 



In 1883 the Southern Pine Beetle, (Dendroctonus frontalis 
Zimm.) began to infest the timber, killing thousands of trees 
during the decade which followed. In this same year the tim- 
ber was cut on the West Virginia Central Railroad's right of 
way from Fairfax, in Grant county, to Davis, and the railroad 
completed to the latter point in 1885. This railroad furnished 
an outlet for the great quantity of timber and admitted num- 
erous portable and stationary saw mills which have continued 
to operate to the present time. The timber where the town of 
Davis now stands was cut in 1885 and the large band saw mill, 
which has cut over 400 million feet of softwoods, was erected 2 
years later. 

Those who visited this locality prior to the introduction of 
these disturbing influences would hardly recognize it now. Dr. 
William C. Rives, an eminent naturalist of Washington, D. C, 
who made some field observations in the vicinity of Davis in 
1891 and again in 1897, makes the following comment: ''The 
destruction of timber which had already begun before the time 
of my first visit had progressed with startling rapidity, during, 
the six years that had elapsed, and instead of the more or less 
unbroken sea of green tree tops formerly visible, the eye now 
rested upon a country disfigured by prostrate logs stripped of 
.their bark, misshapen and unsightly stumps, and dead trees 
blackened and destroyed by fire. Railroads for getting out the 
timber had been forced into the heart of the woods. Saw mills, 
tanneries, pulp mills and lumber camps stand where the timid 
deer formerly came to slake its thirst and the ponderous and 
unwieldy bear found an unmolested abode. It is for the most 
part requisite to travel for many miles from the railroad to 
find a place to which the wood cutter has not yet penetrated. ' '* 

Lumbermen and Forest Fires. 

Timber conditions have continued to grow steadily worse, 
not only in the locality referred to above, but in nearly all parts 
where timber has been cut. All that was left by lumbermen on 
large areas has been consumed, in many places down to the bare 
rocks, by the oft-recurring forest fires. Viewed from any high 
station in the vicinity of Davis or Thomas, the whole region. 



^The AuTc, Vol. XV, No. 2, April, 1898. 



286 CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 

undisturbed a few years ago, presents a picture of desolation. 
Except for here and there a clump of spruces or hardwoods 
that have been protected from the fire by streams or marshes, 
and a fringe of balsam firs surroimding McDonald Glade, all 
the mature timber on the lower half of Canaan Valley is gone. 
The same condition exists, also, over broad belts on both sides 
of the railroad to the^ north of Thomas, and, to a great extent, 
on the cut-over mountains southward from the Cheat river. In 
many places "Fire Cherries" and yellow birches have sprung 
up, and occasionally more valuable species, but all these alike 
are soon killed by fire. 

The Lumber Industry. 

The lumber industry in Tucker county divides itself, natul- 
ally, into 3 periods. These are the period of sash saw mills, run 
by water power, the period of portable steam saw mills, and the 
period of large stationary mills. To some extent the first period 
overlapped the second, and the second continues with the third 
which, doubtless, it will outlive for many years. 

Arnold Bonnifield built a sash saw mill on the Cheat river 
as early as 1830. This he ran continually for 35 years. The 
first lumber that went out of the county was from this mill and 
was used in the construction of the bridge where the North- 
western Turnpike crosses the Cheat river 6 miles above Rowles- 
burg. N. M. and Geo. M. Farsons operated a sash mill in the 
county at an early date, and a little later, we are told, '*]\Iills 
of this kind became numerous all over the County." Rufus 
Maxwell built a mill known as a "muley-mill" in 1865. This 
was an improvement on the sash mills for the reason that it 
worked faster, giving about 300 strokes of the saw to the minute. 

"With the coming of the steam mills, shortly after the close 
of the Civil War, the lumber industry took on new life. The 
largest operator of this period was C. R. Macomber who sur- 
passed all the others in the quantity of lumber sawed. His op- 
erations were in the white pine belt, principally, from 1874 to 
1884. Other portable mills were Taylor's Mill on Shavers Fork, 
Howe's Mill and Sterling's Mil, as well as one on Black Fork 
and one in Canaan Valley. Rufus Maxwell, Abraham and 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



287 



Daniel Dumire, George Auvil, David Gloss and Rowlesburg 
Lumber and Iron Company all operated shingle mills in the 
white pine section on Cheat river. The greater part of the 
white pine in this section was manufactured into shingles by 
the 5 mills named. Joseph Davis operated a shook stave mill 
at St. George, rafting the staves on the river to Rowlesburg 
where they were marketed. During all the years of the first 
and second periods large numbers of logs were rafted down the 
Cheat river, some passing through from Randolph and others 
taken from Tucker. These were disposed of at different points 
on the river outside the county. Some were taken as far as 
Point Marion, Pennsylvania, and sawed on the mill of Marcus 
Hulings and later by Dewing and Sons. Others were manu- 
factured into lumber by Geo. E. Hayes, Hinkle and Company, 
and others at Rowlesburg. 

"When the West Virginia Central Railroad (now Western 
Maryland Railroad) was extended into the county in 1885, it 
opened the great timber areas in the eastern and central sec- 
tions. Numerous small mills came in and large stationary mills, 
some provided with circular saws and others with band saws, 
were located at various points along the road. Among the first 
of these were the mills at William and at Davis. The latter was 
built in 1887 and has operated under the following names : The 
Blaekwater Boom and Lumber Company, 1887-1893; The Black- 
water Lumber Company, 1893-1905; Thompson Lumber Com- 
pany, 1905-1907; The Babcock Lumber and Boom Company, 
1907 to the present. Another large band mill has been running 
at Hambleton since 1890; first, as The Hulings Lumber Com- 
pany, later, as Welch Brothers Lumber Company, and still later, 
as the Otter Creek Boom and Lumber Company. A new field 
was opened up a few years ago by the building of the Dry Fork 
Railroad and its branch to Laneville. Several large mills have 
begun operations in this section of the county within the past 
few years. 



288 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



TYLER COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Tyler county, formed in December, 1814, from Ohio county, 
is the second Ohio river county south of the northern Panhandle. 
Its area is 260.12 square miles or 166,477 acres. 

Topography. 

The topography of the region is thus described: 

"The Marshall- Wetzel-Tyler area is a highly dissected 
plain or plateau of about 1350 to 1400 feet above sea level. The 
effect of water erosion has reduced this original plateau prac- 
tically all to slope, the streams flowing in deeply cut "Y" 
shaped valleys. Numerous hills and ridges ranging in eleva- 
tion from 1400 feet to 1600 feet and capped with more resistant 
layers of sandstone and rock strata, remain as evidence of the 
original plateau. 

' ' On the northwestern side of thfj area under discussion the 
Ohio river has cut a deep, narrow gorge in this old plateau 
from y2 to 1 mile wide and 400 to 600 feet deep through the 
nearly parallel strata of sandstone, shales and limestone. The 
valley walls are usually steep, often almost perpendicular, but 
on reaching the summits the general surface is rolling except 
where trenched by creeks and runs. Hard layers of sandstone 
and limestone often cause inequalities in the surface, the softer 
portions being eroded away and steep bluffs formed. 

''South of Middle Island creek and west of Middlebourne 
erosion seems to have progressed farther and the topography 
is much more gentle and smooth than in other portions of the 
Marshall-Wetzel-Tyler area."* 

The report from which the above quotations are taken says 
further, referring particularly to the topography of Tyler 
county : 

"The county has a range of elevation from 580 feet above 
tide, low water level of the Ohio river near Bens Run, to 1500 

* W. Va. Geo. Surv. Rep. "Marshall- Wetzell-Tyler Counties" — 
P. 48. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOQICAL SURVEY. 



289 



feet above tide at the top of a high knob, on the Wetzel-Tyler 
line, 2 miles northeast of Alvy (Stringtown), in the extreme 
eastern part of the county, or a total range of 920 feet. Many 
residents of Tyler think a high knob, called "Owlshead", 2 
miles northeast of the town of Wick, the highest in the county, 
but it lacks 75 to 80' of being as high as the knob referred ta 
above, since the top of it is only about 1415' above tide. 

Tyler has a much smoother topography than Wetzel and 
is therefore better adapted to farming than the latter. The 
soil has become exhausted somewhat and the farms have been 
neglected over a great portion of the county since the develop- 
ment of the oil and gas industry 15 to 20 years ago. 

The principal stream is the Ohio river along which the 
county fronts for about 14 miles. The tributaries of the Ohio 
for this distance are very short, draining a strip which averages 
not more than a mile in width. To the east of this low water- 
shed all the streams flow directly away from the Ohio river to 
Middle Island creek or its larger tributaries. 

Since Tyler county is drained almost entirely by Middle 
Island creek and its tributaries the following complete descrip- 
tion of the steam is here given: 

"Middle Island creek is said to be the longest stream not to 
bear the name river in the United States. The air line distance 
from its mouth at the Ohio river to its head in southeastern 
Doddridge county is slightly over 38 miles. The distance meas- 
ured along the meanders of the stream is over 100 miles. The 
crookedest portion of the creek lies within Tyler county. The 
air line distance between the point where the creek enters Tyler 
county (63 miles above its mouth) is 12.8 miles. The same dis- 
tance measured along the stream is 46 miles, or the ratio of total 
distance to air line distance is about 3.6. 

''The entire area of Tyler county with the exception of a 
narrow belt along the river front, lies within the drainage basin 
of Middle Island creek. The area of its drainage basin within 
the limits of Tyler county is 246 square miles. 

*'From Middlebourne to the Ohio river, a distance of 39 
miles, the total fall is only 60 feet or an average of about 1 foot 
and a half to the mile. This would indicate that the lower 
19 



290 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



course of tlie stream is fast approaching to the base level with 
the Ohio. 

"Like Fishing creek its channel possesses many features of 
inherited maturity along with those of early youth. The 
stream in some instances meanders over 2 miles from its general 
course which is northwest until the latitude of Middlebourne is 
reached when it changes to southwest. This would seem to in- 
dicate that it flowed into the preglacial Marietta river. The 
famous "jug" of Middle Island creek is located about 2 miles 
above Middlebourne. Here the creek made a great bend or 
loop to the south 3.5 miles around same and came back within 
50 feet of itself. Within recent years an attempt has been 
made to utilize the difference in level, about 10 feet between the 
two portions of the stream for water power by digging a cut 
across the low, narrow neck of the peninsula. Floods of course 
have greatly enlarged this cut and at the present time, when the 
water is low, the entire discharge flows through the new chan- 
nel. The peninsula is now an island, and not many years in 
the future very little of- the stream's output, even in time of 
floods will go around this bend. 

"At two other prominent points in Tyler county, Middle 
Island creek has made similar cut-offs, as evidenced by the old, 
well-marked channels at slightly higher elevations than the 
present stream level at the points in question. The first of these 
abandoned loops is located about one-half mile above Josephs 
Mills, and at the present time Little Camp Mistake run follows 
the old north channel of the last 0.8 of a mile of its course. The 
highest point of this old channel is barely 30 feet above the 
present level of the stream at the neck of the cut-off. 

"The other abandoned loop which is also easily observed 
on the ground is found at the point where Middle Island crosses 
the Tyler-Pleasants boundary line. At this point the creek at 
one time made a great bend of almost a mile to the south. The 
old channel is plainly visible, the elevation of the highest point 
of which is about 690 feet above tide. The present level of the 
creek at the neck of the cut-off is about 610' A. T. 

"Many old terraces are found along the enclosing valley 
and its tributaries. These terraces no doubt owe their origin 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



291 



to the same causes as for those on Fish and Fishing creeks and 
on the Ohio river. 

' ' The tributaries of Middle Island in Tyler county are from 
the north; Point Pleasant, Indian and McElroy creeks, all three 
of which are fairly large streams, and Buffalo, Left Buffalo, 
Shriver, Gorrell, Muddy, Jefferson and Camp Mistake runs. 
Those putting in from the south in Tyler county are McKim, 
Sugar and Sancho creeks, and Gorrell, Jug, Pitts, Wheeler, 
Conaway, Purgatory, McGee, Big and Short runs."* 

Original Timber Conditions. 

The leading hardwoods of the county were white oak, yel- 
low poplar and hickory. Residents of the county make the claim 
that the best white oak timber in the state once grew here; and 
if the areas of virgin timber that still remain uncut are fair 
representatives of the original forests then their claim cannot 
be greatly in error. Single acres — according to the word of ex- 
perienced and reliable timber cruisers — are yet to be found 
that contain not fewer than 25,000 feet of choice hardwood, 
about 90 per cent of which is white oak. Other hardwoods 
commonly found were black oak, black and white walnut, sweet 
buckeye, basswood, white ash, black gum, sycamore, hackberry 
(called hoop-wood), sugar and red maples, beech, and chestnut. 
White elms are abundant also on low ground. An old tree of 
this species now standing on Middle Island creek has a horizon- 
tal expanse of limbs of 120 feet. A few slippery elms and cu- 
-cumbers were to be found and a very few sweet birches grew 
on McElroy creek, a tributary of Middle Island. The softwoods 
were yellow pine, white pine, pitch pine, hemlock and red cedar. 
None of these were abundant except yellow pine which grew 
from the center of the county up Middle Island creek and its 
tributaries. The white pine was scattered along the bluffs and 
water courses in clumps throughout the hilly sections back from 
the Ohio river. It is said that an average of a thousand feet to 
the acre of yellow and white pine once grew in half of the 
county. According to that estimate there were over 83,000,000 

*W. Va. Geo. Surv. county reports, "Marshall, Wetzel and Tyler 
counties," pp. 46-47. 



292 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



feet, principally of yellow pine. There were a few red cedars 
near the water courses and hemlocks grew in narrow belts in 
the deeper hollows. Pitch pine was found only here and there 
on dry, sandy ridges. 

The Lumber Industry. 

Some of the early settlers in the county, especially those 
that bought land far back from the larger streams, destroyed 
most of their fine walnuts, poplars and other timbers by fire. 
Others, whose timber was easily accessible to the Ohio river, 
sold a part of it to lumbermen who were rafting logs to Cin- 
cinnati and other southern points. According to Mr. H. H. 
Furbee, of Middlebourne, between the years 1840 and 1880, 24 
combination grist and sash saw mills were running on Middle Is- 
land creek in Tyler county. Some of these mills ran night and day 
in the winter. All sawed for southern markets. The bulk of the 
best yellow and white pine in the county was sawed on these 
water mills. Four sash saw mills are still operated irregularly. 

In the summer of 1870 the first steam saw mill was brought 
in. Since that time portable mills have been operated in al- 
most every section. Not more than half a dozen of these are 
running now. 

In 1881 the first stave factory came into the county, oper- 
ating first at Sisterville, later at Middlebourne and other points. 
Before the coming of the stave mills much timber was shipped 
out for staves, principally to Pittsburg, some of it hauled in 
wagons for part of the distance, some floated, and some taken 
in barges. 

No band mills, or any large stationary mills, have ever been 
operated in the county. 

The thousands of oil well derricks erected in the area have 
drawn heavily upon the timber supply. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

There are a few small virgin timber tracts lying on Middle 
Island creek, McElroy creek and Indian creek, aggregating 
1,200 acres. All the remaining woodland is owned in small 
boundaries by farmers. Many of the woodlots contain good 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



293 



second-growth hardwoods. Where the yellow and white pine 
once grew there are now only scattered trees of these species. 

Great changes have taken place in the forests of the county 
within the last 20 years. In 1893 Geo. AY. Summers, author of 
*'The Mountain State" wrote of the timber in Tyler county as 
follows : 

*'Oak, poplar, hickory, chestnut, ash and walnut are the 
principal woods, though there is very little of the latter left 
now. The lands along the streams have all been pretty well 
cleared, but on the lands back from them and on the hills little 
has been cut." A little further on, however, this author adds: 
*'Saw mills, stave mills and other wood working industries are 
numerous in the county and the forests are rapidly disappear- 
ing." 

UPSHUR COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Upshur county, formed from parts of Randolph, Barbour 
and Lewis in the year 1851, is located slightly northeast of the 
center of the State. Its area is 326 square miles or 208,640 
acres. 

Topography. 

The surface of the county varies greatly from north to 
south. The smoothest and lowest land lies north and west of a 
line running from Arlington, on the Little Kanawha river to 
Sago, and thence down the Buckhannon river to the Barbour 
county line. The smoothest and best agricultural land lies in 
Warren and Buckhannon districts in the northern and north- 
western parts of the county. The hills of that part of Warren 
district which borders on the Buckhannon river and those that 
are in the drainage basin of Pecks and Turkey nms are low, 
with well-rounded or flat tops. The hills of the northwestern 
side of the district, drained by Hackers creek, are steep and less 
rounded on top. Only a few of the Hackers creek hills rise 
above those on the other side but all appear much higher on 
account of the greater depth of the stream channels in that sec- 



294 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



tion. Hackers creek flows out at 1,070 feet and the Buckhan- 
non river at 1,380 feet, making a difference of 310 feet in the 
stream bed elevations on opposite sides of the district. The 
drainage basins of Finks run in Buckhannon district, that of 
portions of French creek with its Slab Camp fork and Bull run 
tributaries in Meade district, and that of Cow run of Banks 
district, are comparatively smooth. The principal bottom lands 
of the county lie along the Buckhannon river from a little above 
the town of Buckhannon to a distance of 6 or 7 miles below it. 
Narrower bottoms are found along Turkey run. Finks run, 
Brushy fork, Cutright run, French creek, Bull run, Slab Camp 
fork and Cow run. There are level or rolling uplands in the 
vicinities of Eock Cave, Frenchton, Hinkleville, and in several 
other localities on both sides of the Buckhannon river in Meade, 
Union and Washington districts. 

Geologists speak of a plain which once included this region 
but which has now been elevated and tilted and furrowed by 
streams until it is almost beyond recognition. Remnants of it 
are found on the fiat-topped hills and ridges which lessen in 
elevation from southeast to northwest. 

The areas drained by the upper Buckhannon river, as well 
as those drained by the Middle Fork river on the east, and by 
the Right and Left Forks of Little Kanawha on the south, are 
principally high and rough. For several miles back from the 
Randolph and Webster county lines the summits of the Upshur 
hills rise from 2,000 to 2,500 feet, and in one place near Palace 
Valley they reach an elevation of about 3,100 feet. 

The Buckhannon river flows north through the county 
keeping a little east of its center. Its descent is rapid from 
where it enters the area a short distance north of Arvondale 
station to the village of Hampton, four miles above Buckhan- 
non. From this point it flows slowly for a distance of 7 or 8 
miles. A short distance from where it leaves the county it 
again begins to flow rapidly toward the Tygarts Valley into 
which it empties some 8 or 9 miles below. The principal eastern 
tributaries of the Buckhannon are Left Fork, Panther Fork, 
Tenmile creek, and Sand run. Its largest western tributaries 
are Big run, French creek, Finks run, Turkey run and Pecks 
run. The Middle Fork of Tygarts Valley drains a belt of land 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



295 



on the east of the county; the Little Kanawha a large area on 
the south, and the tributaries of the West Fork river drain 
small areas along the western side. 

According to the following statement made by geologists 
of the United States Geological Survey, several small streams 
have been captured from the Buckhannon river and their 
waters turned into the Little Kanawha and the West Fork 
rivers : 

''Instances of this capture of drainage may be observed in 
the headwaters of Stone Coal creek, west of Buckhannon. Glady 
Fork and Spruce Fork flow toward the Buckhannon river to 
a low, wide divide at the source of Brushy Fork, where they 
turn abruptly backward in a deep gorge and empty into the 
West Fork of Monongahela river. The drainage of Buckhan- 
non river on the east side of the Divide has nearly cut down to 
its base-level of erosion, while that of the West Fork, on the 
west, is cutting rapidly and deeply into the soft shale and 
sandstone, and if conditions of erosion remain as at present for 
a long period of time. Stone Coal creek will doubtless cut back 
to Buckhannon river and divert its waters from their present 
course and lead them into West Fork. Other striking examples 
of diverted streams may be seen in the whole of the drainage 
of Little Kanawha river above Arlington. The headwater 
drainage of this river has persistently and rapidly cut north- 
ward, moving its watershed, and has captured the Avaters of 
Laurel, Cow, and Get Out runs, which originally belonged to 
French creek and flowed northward into Buckhannon river." 

Original Forest Conditions. 

Yellow poplar, black walnut, white oak, red oak and 
chestnut may be named as some of the most valuable hard- 
woods of the county. Other common hardwoods were sugar 
and red maple, black birch, shellbark and pignut hickory, black 
gum, beech, chestnut oak, scarlet oak, black oak, white ash, 
locust, sycamore, and white walnut. Cucumber, basswood, and 
some others were distributed locally. Shingle oak grew along 
the Buckhannon river as far up as Hampton, and a very few 
trees of swamp white oak were to be found on the low lands in 
the vicinity of Lorentz, 4 miles west of Buckhannon. 



296 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Hemlock once grew on the rough stony soil of Buckhannon 
river and its larger tributaries as far north as Sago ; on nearly 
all the tributaries of the Right and Left Forks of the Little 
Kanawha in the southern end; and to some extent along the 
Middle Fork river. There were also narrow fringes of hem- 
locks along the tributaries of West Fork river which head in 
the county. No other softwoods — not even in small quantities — 
grew within the area. 

The quality of poplar, black walnut and hemlock was good. 
White oak and chestnut were damaged to some extent by in- 
sects. 

The Lumber Industry. 

The destruction of timber by the pioneers of the county 
was enormous, as large settlements were begun and large open- 
ings made in the original forests many years before the estab- 
lishment of a commercial lumber industry. It is of interest 
that the first white men who lived in the county made their 
home for two years in the hollow of a gigantic sycamore tree 
which grew near the mouth of Turkey run, a tributary of the 
Buckhannon river. These men were John and Samuel Prin^^le, 
deserters from the royal army at Fort Pitt during the French 
and Indian War, When the war was over they left the region 
for the settlements on the South Branch. In 1768 Samuel 
Pringle acted as guide for the first settlers who built ihcir 
homes along the Buckhannon river and its larger branches not 
far from the town of Buckhannon. In 1772 others came from 
the same settlements and established homes farther up the river 
and on tiackers creek. Settlements were made at Sago in 1801, 
at French creek in 1816, at Queens in 1817, and by 1825 there 
were families living in every district. 

Sawing for domestic use was begun over a hundred years 
ago. The first lumber was sawed with whip saws which were 
operated by hand. A few years later rude water-power saw 
mills were built along the creeks and rivers in several localities. 
The following list of sash saw mills with dates and locations is 
taken from Outright 's "History of Upshur County": 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 297 

Owners. Date of building. Location. 

John Strader & Henry Reger 1806 Spruce run. 

John Jackson 1810 Buckhannon 

Zedekiah Morgan &... ) -,o-l/^ ^ 

Patrick Peebles [ ^^'^ 

Aaron Gould 1813 French Creek, (Meadville) 

James Bunten 1825 Sago. 

Elbridge and John Burr 1832 French Creek. 

Aaron Liggett 1853 Glady Fork. 

Chipps & Wamsley 1854 Grassy run. 

Lewis 1874 Big Sand run. 

Hinkle . .1878 Big Sand run. 



There were also B. W. Phillips' mill and Houghton's mill 
on Laurel Fork of French creek, Abram Crites' mill at Selby- 
ville on the Buckhannon river, Pringle's mill at Alton on the 
Buckhanon river, Wilson's mill at Stillman on the Little 
Kanawha, Marshall Wingrove's mill on French creek, and 
several others. 

It is probable that Abraham Hinkle operated the first 
steam saw mill on Cutrights run, a tributary of the Buckhan- 
non river, in the year 1867. About ten years later W. F. 
Hollen built a mill of the same kind in Union district and 
operated it for a number of years. 

The commercial lumber industry began with the building 
of the railroad to Buckhannon in 1883 and was greatly 
increased by its extension up the Buckhannon river a few years 
later. Since that time there has been an extensive industry 
throughout the whole Buckhannon river basin carried on by 
scores of large and small operators. A few of these are men- 
tioned below: 

Floyd Brown and William Mearns both operated mills on 
the waters of Little Kanawha, beginning about 1885. The 
former sawed at Stillman, Get Out run, and in other places in 
that region; the latter, with his sons, continued to operate for 
many years in the vicinity of Rock Cave and in other parts of 
the southern end. Fidler and Huff had a steam mill on 
Kanawha run as early as 1888. Fidler 's mill on the Kanawha 



298 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



river at Arlington should be mentioned also as one of the pio- 
neer stationary operations. 

A. G. Giffin began in the county by buying hickory. This 
he sawed and shipped to Pennsylvania. Later he cut poplar 
and other timber on his own mill and on several rented mills. 
Still later he acquired the plant built by the Buckhannon River 
Lumber Company at Buckhannon. Much lumber manufactured 
by himself and by others in the region was dressed on his plan- 
ing mill located in Buckhannon. His operations covered the 
period from 1883 to 1891. 

The Buckhannon River Lumber Company came in soon 
after the railroad was built to Buckhannon. This company 
operated a circular mill at Buckhanon and another at Ten- 
mile, and hired a third mill near the latter town. Many of 
the logs for the Buckhannon mill and the lumber from the Ten- 
mile mills were brought down the river on a tram-road. A large 
number of logs were brought down from lands high up on the 
Buckhannon river, some being floated and others hauled by 
the company's locomotive after the West Virginia and Pitts- 
burg railroad was extended to Newlon in 1891. About the 
year 1892 the mill was sold to Winchester and Craddock, who 
soon after remodeled it, installing a band in place of the circu- 
lar saw. 

G. F. Stockert came to Upshur county from Lewis in 1888 
and began operations with the Buckhannon River Lumber 
Company. Later he and his brothers sawed on Little Bush run, 
a tributary of French creek, and on Kanawha run a tributary 
of the Little Kanawha river. He also cut about 8,000,000 feet 
on Big run near the town of Alton. From there he went to 
Panther Fork where he erected a large circular mill. Here, 
from 1895 to 1900, he cut about 12,000,000 feet of fine timber 
from a tract of 3,600 acres and then sold out to Isherwood and 
Cody. Later he sawed near Alton and in other parts of the 
county. At present he is superintending operations on the 
Kanawha river near the town of Holly Grove. 

Alexander Lumber Company, with a band mill at Alex- 
ander, cut timber from a large tract on the Left Fork of Buck- 
hannon river between the years 1889 and 1894. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



299 



Col. Sellars operated a circular saw mill at Tenmile be- 
tween 1889 and 1892. 

Alton Lumber Company erected a portable mill at Alton 
in the spring of 1891 and cut the timber from 1,200 acres of 
land on Buckhannon river and Laurel Fork of French creek. 
This company, with offices in Buckhannon, is now engaged in 
the wholesale lumber business and is interested also in the manu- 
facture of lumber in Randolph and Barbour counties. 

Smoot Lumber Company operated a portable mill at Ten- 
mile from about 1892 to 1898. 

Fell and Stranahan sawed the timber from a tract of 600 
acres near Tenmile between the years 1893 and 1895. 

Isherwood and Cody sawed about 15,000,000 feet of lumber 
from their own. lands on Panther Fork between 1900 and 1908. 

Others who have operated portable mills are Crosby and 
Beckley Lumber Company on Big run, near Alton; Jenkins 
and Cochran near the village of Canaan; J. H. Grogg on 
French creek and other Buckhannon river tributaries; William 
Burner near the town of Sago; and Phillips Brothers on the 
Buckhannon river from Sago to Alton. 

The 3 principal lines of steel railroad built in the 
county for hauling logs and lumber are the 17 mile line built 
up the Left Fork of Buckhannon river by the Alexander 
Lumber Company in 1890; the 15 mile line built by G. F. 
Stockert on Panther Fork and Middle Fork waters; and the 
recently constructed line from Frenchton to the Kanawha river 
in use by the Buchanan Lumber Company. 

The principal operation now in the county is that of the 
Croft Lumber Company with a single band mill located at 
Alexander. 

Not fewer than 30 small mills, with capacities ranging from 
1,000 to 8,000 feet a day, are operating principally in the 
southern end of the county and along the Coal and Coke rail- 
road in the central sections. 

Present Forest Conditions. 

There are 4 or 5 virgin forest areas, aggregating 
about 1,500 acres, still remaining in the southern end of the 
county, principally in the Kanawha river basin. ]\Ibst of the 



300 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



cut-over forest lands lie in the scattered tracts along the Buck- 
hannon river south of Sago, and in the extreme southern end 
of the county along the Randolph and Webster lines. The 
largest areas are in the vicinity of Alton, on both sides of the 
Buckhannon river, and on the rough lands which slope to the 
Right and Left Forks of the Little Kanawha river near Cleve- 
land. The total area of cut-over forest land is about 17,000 
acres. 

The remaining 190,000 acres, or more, of land in the county 
is owned by farmers. In Warren and Buckhannon districts 
in the northern end not less than 85 per cent of the land is 
cultivated or in grass. In the southern and eastern parts the 
percentage of cleared land is much lower. The farmers, as a 
rule, have woodlots that contain some merchantable timber and 
that are well stocked with a young growth of valuable species 
of hardwoods. 

WAYNE COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Wajme county, which was formed in 1842 from part of 
Cabell, is situated in the extreme southwestern part of the state. 
Its area is 545 square miles or 348,800 acres. 

Topography. 

Lying as it does along the loweir course of the Big Sandy 
river and for some distance along the Ohio, the county has a 
low elevation. The low land at the mouth of Big Sandy river 
lies at about 500 feet being next in elevation above the lowest 
point in the state at Harpers Ferry. The western half of the 
county lies below 1,000 feet except an occasional hilltop and 
crest of ridge. The surface of the eastern part of the county, 
excepting the channels of larger streams, lies above 1,000 feet. 
In a few places, as between the Right and Left Forks of Twelve- 
pole creek and southward from the Right Fork, the ridges 
reach a height of 1,700 feet. 

The Ohio river which forms the northern boundary line 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



301 



for about 6 miles, the Big Sandy river, with its Tug Fork, which 
forms the southern boundary line for 50 miles, together with 
Twelvepole creek, a large tributary of the Ohio, constitute the 
drainage system of the county. Twelvepole creek flows north- 
ward through the center of the county. Its principal tribu- 
traies are the Right and Left Forks which flow together near 
the town of Wayne, Buffalo creek and Beech creek which empty 
several miles below. Most of the numerous streams that empty 
into the Big Sandy and Tug Fork are small. Whites creek, 
Isom creek and Hurricane creek are the largest tributaries of 
the former, and Mill creek, Lost oreek and Jennie creek the 
largest of the latter. 



The virgin forests have practically disappeared from 
Wayne, making it difficult to determine from present conditions 
the character of the original areas. There is, however, an 
authentic timber record of a large tract on the Right Fork of 
Twelvepole which may be taken as typical of the virgin forests 
of the county.* The trees that were measured on this 12,263 acre 
tract were those above 18 inches in diameter 4 feet from the 
ground, with the exception of locusts, hickories and black wal- 
nuts which were measured from a diameter of 10 inches and 
upward. The varieties and numbers of commercial timber 
trees growing on the tract at that time are as follows : 



The Original Forests. 



White Oaks 

Chestnut Oaks 

Hickories 

Black Oaks 

Yellow Poplars 

Basswoods 

Chestnuts 

Locusts 

White Maples (Red Maples) 

Sugar Maples 

Birches 



24,760 
38,84S 
21.298 
8,528 
12,450 
2,328 
7,681 
1,996 
1,583 
450 
1,344 



*Summer's "West Virginia," 1893, p. 31. 



302 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Black Gums . . 
Black Walnuts 



1,044 
393 
943 
240 
271 
28 
13 
3,472 
903 



Red Oaks 
Cucumbers 
Ashes . . . 



Buckeyes 
Sycamores 



Pines, (probably Pitch Pines) 
Hemlocks 



Whole number of trees 



128,567 



There was but little hemlock on the Big Sandy and on the 
lower half of Twelvepole and none on the Ohio river. There was 
a scattered growth of pitch and jersey pine and red cedar. * 
Cedars grew, and are still growing, most abundantly in 2 belts 
of land which extend across the county from east to west, 1 about 
2 miles wide passing through the center, and another about 1 
mile wide 7 miles north of this. 



The timber of the county has been cut first, by the early 
settlers who used a little and destroyed much ; second, by farmers 
and lumbermen who drifted and rafted logs on the Big Sandy 
river and on Twelvepole creek; and third, by operators of saw 
mills in the county. A large number of logs were cut by the 
owners of small tracts of land and rafted to the Ohio river where 
they were bought by lumber companies and taken in fleets to 
southern points. In later years C. Crane and Company, of Cin- 
cinnati, and other companies, bought stumpage along the streams 
and rafted out their logs. 

From 1875 to 1884 many split staves were cut and delivered 
to the banks of the streams to Oxley Stave Company of Cincin- 
nati, and to Dixon and Barr. These companies drifted the 
staves to the mouth of Twelvepole where they were caught in a 
boon and loaded into barges. Much of the best oak in the 
county was used and much was wasted in the stave industry. 

The pioneer saw mill operators were the Smiths who came 



The Lumber Industry. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



303 



from Virginia about 1832 and built water power mills along 
Twelvepole creek. A part of the lumber manufactured by them 
was used locally and a part floated in "stacks" down the Twelve- 
pole. Saw mills were few and of small capacity until the build- 
ing of the railroads. ^ 

C. W. Ferguson has operated a circular and planing mill, 
known as ' ' Elmwood Mill, ' ' for many years on Twelvepole creek 
near the town of Wayne. Most of the -lumber used in construct- 
ing the buildings of Wayne, the present county seat, was sawed 
on this mill. 

Among the larger companies that have operated in the 
county are Prendergast Lumber Company which cut timber 
from East Fork of Twelvepole and from tributaries of Tug 
Fork; Al. Cline Lumber Company which cut timber on Tug 
Fork waters ; and Parsons Lumber Company which cut poplar 
into cigar box stock and thin ceiling at Ceredo. 

McComas, Bowen and Company operated mills in various 
sections of the county cutting the best of the hickory for handle 
stock. 

The cross-tie industry has been large since the coming of 
the first portable mills. 

The timber has been cut to such an extent that the lumber 
industry is no longer large. Rafting still continues, in a small 
way, along the Tug Fork and the Twelvepole. About 18 
portable mills are sawing from place to place. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

The timber land is in Lincoln and Grant districts in the 
southeastern part of the county. In these 2 districts fully one- 
half of the surface is owned by non-residents, the other half, or 
less, being owned and occupied by farmers. There are about 
3,600 acres of virgin forest scattered in small tracts throughout 
the central and southeastern sections, and 80,000 acres of cut- 
over forest. The whole northwestern end of the county is owned / 
by farmers. 

The cut-over forest land still has from 25 to 40 per cent of 
the original timber, and the farmers' woodlots, especially in the 
southeast, contain a good stand of the less valuable hardwoods. 



304 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



WEBSTER COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Webster county was formed in 1860 from parts of Nicholas, 
Braxton and Randolph. It is situated slightly southeast of the 
center of the state. Area 590 square miles or 377,600 acres. 

Topography. 

This county is one of the highest and roughest portions of 
West Virginia. In the southeastern half of the county the lofty 
ridges of the Yew mountains rise to elevations ranging from 
3,000 feet to 4,300 feet. The lowest land is found at the points 
where the Little Kanawha and the Elk rivers leave the county 
at an elevation of about 1,000 feet. The Gauley river leaves at 
2,000 feet elevation and the Cranberry crosses the southwestern 
line into Nicholas at about 2,200 feet. The smoothest areas are 
found about the Welch Glades near Cowen, on Strouds creek 
and Big Ditch run north of Camden-on-Gauley, in the vicinity 
of Waineville, and at Hackers Valley on the Holly river. In 
some sections, also, there are high, flat areas on the mountain 
tops. This is especially true of the mountain separating Elk 
and Gauley rivers in the region south and southwest of Webster 
Springs. 

The general course of all the larger streams is toward the 
northwest. By following the line which bounds the county 
obliquely on the west, a person would cross the following 
streams, named in order from north to south: Little Kanawha 
river. Left and Hight Forks of Holly river. Elk river. Laurel 
creek, heads of Little and Big Birch rivers, Strouds creek, 
Gauley river and Cranberry river. The principal tributaries 
of the Little Kanawha in the county are the Right Fork and 
Buffalo run ; those of the Back Fork of Holly are Laurel Fork, 
Hodam creek and Old Lick creek ; and those of the Right Fork 
of Holly are Grassy creek, Desert Fork and Laurel Fork. Elk 
river's chief tributaries are Laurel creek, which rises in the 
Welch Glades; Back Fork, emptying at Webster Springs, and 
Leatherwood and Bergoo creeks, flowing in from the high moun- 



WEST VIRGINIxV GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



305 



tains to the south. Gauley river is formed in the spruce 
forests of the eastern part of the county by the running together 
of North, South and Middle Forks. Its chief tributary here, 
however, is Williams river, a large, swift-flowing stream which 
empties about 6 miles above the town of Camden-on-Gauley. 
Other smaller tributaries are Big Ditch run, Turkey creek and 
Straight creek. The Cranberry river, which empties into the 
Gauley in Nicholas county, flows for about 14 miles through the 
southern part of the county. 

Original Forest Conditions. 

In view of the fact that a large area in the county is stiU 
covered with virgin forests the usual discussion under this head 
is included under ''Present Forest Conditions." 

The Lumber Industry. 

Webster is comparatively a new county. When it was 
formed in 1860 there was a population of only 1,776 persons; 
and with the exception of small, scattered openings made by 
these earliest settlers, the whole area was an unbroken forest at 
that time. For many years after the formation of the county, 
settlement and the clearing up of woodland was slow. In fact, 
as late as 1892 when the Gauley branch of the Baltimore and 
Ohio railroad was completed to Camden-on-Gauley, not less 
than nine-tenths of the county was covered with virgin forests. 
From this it will be seen that the destruction of timber in the 
clearings of early settlers was comparatively insignificant in 
this county. 

Before the building of the railroad, above referred to, the 
vast forests were accessible only through the channels of t.iaft 
large rivers which course through the county. It may be 
stated that floating of poplar logs began on the Webster part of 
Elk river approximately 40 years ago, and on the Gauley river 
about 10 years later. Mr. Walter Holiister, of Cowen, states 
that the first extensive floating on the Elk river was carried on 
by the Woodruffs between the years 1870 and 1880. This com- 
pany cut poplar timber near the river from a point some dis- 
20 



306 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



tance above Webster Springs to the western line and floated 
them to its mill at Charleston. The Woodruffs were succeeded 
by Smith and Gillighan and they, in turn, were succeeded by 
the Moulton Lumber Company, both of which continued the 
floating of poplar logs. 

J. R. Huffman, with band mills at Charleston, floated logs 
from Webster on the Elk and Gauley rivers for several years 
foUowmg 1880. 

From 1892 to 1905 a large number of logs were floated on 
the Elk to supply the band mill of Pardee and Curtin Lumber 
Company at Sutton in Braxton county. 

About 20 years ago Burns Brothers and Huffman, with 
logger's headquarters at Cleveland, cut and floated an immense 
quantit}^ of valuable poplar and other timber from the Back 
Fork of Little Kanawha. The logs were 'taken to their mill at 
Elizabeth in Wirt county. 

Almost at the beginning of the saw milling in the county 
a large band mill was hauled on wagons from Kanawha Falls 
in Fayette county up the Gauley river a distance of 50 miles or 
more and stationed at Camden-on-Gauley. The expense of 
moving the heavy machinery in this way was very great and the 
enterprise proved less profitable than it would have done under 
more favorable circumstances. After running for several years 
the plant went into the hands of the Baltimore and Ohio rail- 
road company. Recently this company disposed of it to the 
Cherry River Boom and Lumber Company. 

Two band saw mills that operated in the county about 15 
years ago were the Hardwood Lumber Company and the Web- 
ster Lumber Company, both located on Laurel creek betwetn 
Cowen and Centralia. 

For the past 18 or 20 years a number of portable mills have 
been cutting lumber along the railroads and throughout the 
northern and western sections. The Smoot Lumber Company, 
of Cowen, has led in this phase of the lumber industry for sev- 
eral years. 

The timber of the county is now being rapidly cut by 4 
band mills and by about 15 smaller mills located at different 
points. Large areas in the mountainous sections are being en- 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



307 



tered, also, by companies with large band mills at Curtin, Rich- 
wood and other points in Nicholas county. 

Present Forest Conditions. 

A belt of mountain land averaging 10 miles in width and 25 
miles in length and including the southeastern third of the 
county is still in virgin forest, except that the best poplar has 
been removed from an area of about 15,000 acres lying on the 
south side of Williams river and its Middle Fork, and from 
8,000 acres on the north side of Gauley river. Outside of this 
belt there are virgin forests on the headwaters of Holly river 
in the northeast and on the Elk river between Webster Springs 
and the Braxton line, making in all an area of about 122,000 
acres. The cut-over forests — aggregating about 133,000 acres — 
lie in nearly all sections, but are most extensive in the region 
drained by the several tributaries of the Holly river, and along 
the northwestern side of the county. Extensive areas are also 
found on the Gauley and Williams rivers and on the Elk river 
west of Webster Springs. Of the remaining 122,600 acres, 
about one-third is cleared and the balance is in culled woodlots. 

The variety of timber trees growing in the forests of Web- 
ster county is very great. All along the southeastern side there 
is a belt of red spruce which varies in width from 2 to 6 miles. 
The irregular northwest boundary line of the spruce belt 
crosses Bergoo and Leatherwood creeks of Elk, the Gauley river 
below its three forks, Williams river near the mouth of Little 
Beechy run, and the Cranberry river north of Hanging Rock. 
Such trees as hemlock, sugar maple, beech, yellow birch and 
wild cherry are frequently found growing with the spruce or 
in almost pure stands on lower ridges and mountainsides. West- 
ward from the spruce belt are the valuable forests of yellow 
poplar, cherry, maple, basswood, chestnut, and other hardwoods. 
An experienced timber cruiser gives the following list of timber 
trees growing on a 20,000 acre tract on Elk river : 



Yellow Poplar 
Chestnut . . . 
Oaks 



25 per cent. 
25 per cent. 
12 per cent. 



308 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Basswood 
Spruce . 



Hemlock 



Sugar Maple 



13 per cent. 
5 per cent. 
5 per cent. 
5 per cent. 



Others (including beech, birch, ash, 



cherry) 



10 per cent. 



In other sections the percentage of some species named 
above would be low and that of others high according to eleva- 
tion of the tract, etc. 

Most of the area in Webster county now occupied by virgin 
and cut-over forests should always remain as forest land. There 
are at least three good reasons why this is so : First, the land 
is not in any sense agricultural; second, it is capable of pro- 
ducing, naturally, an abundant and profitable yield of timber; 
and third, the region is of pre-eminent value for its effect upon 
the flow of waters which finally reach the Ohio river through 
the Elk, the Gauley and the Great Kanawha. 

In the glady regions near Cowen truck-growing will doubt- 
less become very profitable, and there are many sections through- 
out the northwestern half of the county where fruit and the 
ordinary farm crops can be successfully grown. The agricul- 
tural areas are small, however, and the county must protect and 
encourage the growth of its forests as the principal source of 
wealth. 



Wetzel county is separated from Greene county, Pennsyl- 
vania, and from Marshall county on the north by a portion of 
the historic Mason and Dixon line and a westward extension of 
the same to the Ohio river; on the east the Monongahela-Ohio 
river watershed forms the natural boundary line; on the south 
the line follows the southern edge of the Fishing creek drain- 
age basin; and on the west it follows the western bank of the 
Ohio river. In 1846 Wetzel was cut off from the northern 
end of Tyler county and the boundaries given it then have re- 
mained unchanged. Its area is 360.47 square miles or 230,701 
acres. 



WETZEL COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



309 



Topography. 

A description of the surface of this area is included under 
a similar head in the discussion of Tyler county. The lowest 
point, 588 feet, is at the Ohio river in the southwestern comer 
of the county, and the highest, 1,650 feet, at the summit of 
Honsocker knob in the opposite corner. The hills in most parts 
are very rough and steep. 

"Wetzel fronts on the Ohio river for about 13 miles. The 
largest tributary of this river in the county is Fishing creek, the 
whole basin of which lies within the area and drains 220 square 
miles. The remaining area of 140 square miles is drained by 
Fish creek, which flows northwest into Marshall county, and by 
several small creeks and runs. 

Original Forest Conditions. 

Yellow poplar, oaks, walnuts, and other hardwoods, reached 
the same degree of excellence here that they did in the other 
counties of the Ohio river valley. Yellow poplar was abundant 
in the rich land of the creek bottoms. A tree of this species 7 
feet in diameter once stood on Nettle run south of Jacksonburg. 
White pine was found on Piney Fork, Brush run, and State 
Road run, all southern tributaries of Fishing creek. Yellow 
pine grew locally in the southern part of the county, principally 
on the ridges at the head of Piney Fork of Fishing creek. Hick- 
ories, birches, and chestnuts were not common except in a few 
localities. 

The Lumber Industry. 

Following is a statement made by Mr. S. I. Robinson, of 
New Martinsville, an old resident surveyor and lumberman: 

''It may be said that the lumber industry really began 
about the year 1844 ; that is, 2 years before the county of Wetzel 
was cut off from Tyler. Before that time there was a demand for 
a limited amount of lumber at home, and a little traffiicking in 
lumber was done here and there along the Ohio river; but in 
a majority of cases the trees that were cut down were split into 



310 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



fence rails, boards for roofing, flooring, etc., or more often rolled 
together and burned. What sawing was done was by hand or 
by water saw mills of a primitive type. After this floating 
began. The bulk of the timber has been floated down Fishing 
creek. 

"Portable steam saw mills have been in operation since the 
Civil War, and a few before that time. About 5,000 acres were 
cut over on Doolin run, just east of New Mardnsville, by Cas- 
well & Neuzem between 1860 and 1868. They hauled their fine 
poplar and oak to New Martinsville and shipped it in barges. 
The excellent poplar once growing on Buffalo and on Nettle 
run was sawed by small mills, hauled to the mouth of Buffalo 
and from there rafted down Fishing creek. 

' ' There were no large mills on Fish creek, but several small 
mills cut lumber which was hauled to Littleton and shipped. A 
great deal of lumber was cut on the North Fork of Fishing 
creek by local mills and hauled in wagons to Mannington, Marion 
county, and shipped on the B. & 0. railroad. The best of the 
timber on several thousand acres on Arches Fork, Morgan run, 
Tenmile, and other branches of the main South Fork of Fishing 
creek, was also cut by local mills and hauled to Mannington. 
The timber on 1,600 acres lying on Upper run was sawed by D. 
H. Colx, of New Martinsville, and by a Pittsburg operator. 

''Much stave timber was cut along the Ohio river and the 
smaller streams and taken in barges to Pittsburg. About the 
year 1870 the Pittsburg Stave Company built a factory at New 
Martinsville. There they operated for 5 or 6 years, shipping 
rough and dressed staves to Pittsburg, and using some for the 
manufacture of barrels in their own plant. A barge would 
carry 60,000 rough staves or 100,000 that were dressed." 

Mr. Eobinson, from whom the above quotations are given, 
was himself an extensive shipper of staves. Many of his staves 
were shipped to the Phoenix Brewery of Pittsburg, to Gibson's 
distillery on the Monongahela, and to the Freeport distillery 
on the Allegheny river, 28 miles above Pittsburg. He also^man- 
ufactured and hauled a large number of poplar shingles. In 
the process of manufacture trees were cut into blocks 4^^ feet 
in length, and floated down the creeks to New Martinsville. 
Here the bolts'' were sawed in two, steamed, and cut into 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



311 



shingles. Mr. Robinson states that 13 cords of "bolts" were cut 
from a single poplar tree. 

Most of the white pine was cut into timbers 6 by 12 inches 
in thickness and from 25 to 60 feet in length to be used as gun- 
wales for coal barges built at New Martinsville and other points. 

At present there are several large circular saw mill opera- 
tions along the Short Line railroad and several smaller ones in 
other sections of the county. Of these the principal ones are 
Paulhamus & Moon, with a mill at Bane station, cutting from 
a tract on Arches Fork and head of Buffalo Fork of Fishing 
creek; Federal Lumber Company, of Jacksonburg, cutting from 
the John Mills tract on Buffalo run and Piney Fork with 5 cir- 
cular mills; J. M. Hastings Lumber Company, of Jacksonburg, 
cutting from lands lying to the north and east of Jacksonburg. 
It is probable that the companies named will all have completed 
their operations here within a year after the publication of 
this report, and at least one of them, before that time. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

There are about 2,000 acres of virgin forest remaining in 
the southern end of the county. The timbers on these forest 
lands are yellow poplar, white oak, chestnut oak. red oak, and 
others of less value. The cut-over forests contain about 12,800 
acres and lie also tow^ard the southern end. The largest tracts 
are situated between the southern line of the county and Fish- 
ing creek, above the mouth of Piney Fork. 

Magnolia, Proctor, Center, and Church districts contain 
the best agricultural land; and Proctor and Center, in particu- 
lar, contain areas of considerable extent that are fairly smooth. 
Clay district, in the northeastern corner, is not as ^^11 improved 
as those named above. Grant and Greene districts, in the south- 
ern end, are chiefly rough, non-agricultural areas although per- 
haps 30 per cent of the land has been cleared. 

Taken as a whole, about 60 per cent of the county has been 
cleared. Since the development of an extensive oil and gas 
industry, however, many farms have been neglected and have 
become overgrown with brush and briers. 



312 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 

WIRT COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Wirt county, formed in 1848 from parts of Wood and J ack- 
son, lies near the center of the second tier of counties back 
from the Ohio river. Its area is 230.9 square miles or 147,776 
acres. 

Topography. 

The surface of the county is uneven with valleys and low 
hills. The principal valley is that of the Little Kanawha river 
which lies at an elevation varying from 650 feet at its upper 
end to about 600 feet at all points below the town of Palestine, 
The only other valley of importance is that of the Hughes river 
in the northwestern part of the county. Small areas on tops of 
the hills, some distance back from the principal streams, are 
over 1,000 feet in elevation. A few^hills in the southeastern and 
eastern parts rise to 1,200 feet and the summit of a single knob 
on the divide between Little Kanawha river and Standingstone 
creek has an elevation of 1,325 feet. 

The drainage of this territory is effected by the Little 
Kanawha river which traverses the county from southeast to 
northwest. Its principal tributary is Hughes river. Other 
smaller tributaries are Lee creek, Eeedy creek, Standingstone 
creek, Tucker creek, Spring creek and Straight creek. The 
West Fork of Little Kanawha flows through the eastern part of 
the county for a short distance emptying into the main river at 
Creston near the Calhoun county line. 

The Original Timber Conditions. 

Wirt county, especially that part north of the Little Ka- 
nawha river, was originally well timbered. The growth con- 
sisted largely of the species named below and approximately in 
the proportion indicated: 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



313 



White Oak 35 per cent. 

Yellow Poplar 25 per cent. 

Chestnut Oak 10 per cent. 

Yellow Pine 10 per cent. 

Beech 5 per cent. 

Hickory . 5 per cent. 

Chestnut 

Red Oak 

Black Oak 

White Ash 

Basswood 

Cucumber 

Sycamore , 

> 10 per cent. 
White Elm ^ 

Black Walnut 

White Walnut 

Birch 

Locust 

White Pine 

Hemlock 



The Lumber Industry. 



Previous to 1873 no timber had been removed from the in- 
terior of the county. Owners of woodland lying adjacent to the 
river, however, had been engaged for a number of years in cut- 
ting yellov/ poplar, yellow pine and other valuable timbers and 
rafting the logs to Parkersburg where they were sold to operat- 
ors there and through dealers to other operators along the Ohio 
river. The Parkersburg Mill Company has drawn upon the 
supply of timber along the Little Kanawha since 1854, taking 
the very best trees at a low price in the earlier years of their 
operation. Other operators who bought rafts from Wirt county 
were C. Crane & Company and Geo. Rettig of Cincinnati : J. R. 
Timms, West Fork Lumber Company ; Geo. Crawford, INIarietta 
Chair Company; D. M. Miller and, later, Burns Brothers and 
Huffman, and McCoy Lumber Company at Elizabeth. The mills 
of the companies and, individuals named above were supplied 



314 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



with logs from Braxton, Gilmer, Roane, Calhoun and Wirt 
counties. 

McConaughey & Company began the purchase of timber 
and staves in 1873, being the only recognized company at that 
time which made regular purchases of both these commodities. 
Their operation extended also into Gilmer, Calhoun and Roane 
counties. This company operated 2 stave mills and purchased 
large numbers of split staves from the residents of the county. 
These were sold in Pittsburg, Cincinnati and in Indiana. Dur- 
ing the same years the Company bought timber of all kinds that 
could be disposed of to C. Crane & Company, Geo. Rettig, Burns 
Brothers & Huffman, Geo. Crawford and the Marietta Chair 
Company, operators along the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers. 

From 1877 to 1900 McConaughey & Company dealt ex- 
tensively in cross-ties, taking up the first that were branded on 
the Little Kanawha river above the ''pools," and handling in 
some single years from 100,000 to 200,000. Since 1885 Withers 
& Yandevender, the Little Kanawha Log and Tie Company, D. 
M. Miller, and others, have been large purchasers of cross-ties 
in the county. 

Parkersburg was long the chief market place for timber 
of all kinds that came down the Little Kanawha ; but, after the 
building of the dams on this river, Burning Springs and Creston 
became the headquarters for timber dealers. All timber was de- 
livered by the residents of this section and by purchasing com- 
panies into the pools at one of these points. 

D. M. Miller and McConaughey & Company have handled 
most of the square oak. This was shipped to Canada and to Bal- 
timore, and exported from there to England. 

The largest mills that operated in the county were Burns 
Brothers and Huffman's band mill, McCoy Lumber Company's 
circular and gang saw mill, and the West Virginia Bung Com- 
pany's mill, all located at Elizabeth. The first 2 mills named 
began to operate about 1880, cutting logs that were rafted from 
above on the river. 

The yellow pine which grew near the river was sawed large- 
ly by the Parkersburg Mill Company which cut, of all kinds, 
from 400 to 600 rafts, annually, each raft of oak and pine con- 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



315 



taining about 1,500 cubes and of yellow poplar about 2,000 
cubes. 

A large number of logs, ties and staves have sunken to the 
bottom of the Little Kanawha river in transit from all points 
between Elizabeth and Burnsville. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

Approximately 25 per cent of the county still remains in 
woods. This, however, except about 6,000 acres in Burning 
Spring district belonging to oil companies, is owned in small 
boundaries as farmers' woodlots. The small quantity of mer- 
chantable timber left standing is being taken out by portable 
saw mills of which there are about 16 now in operation in the 
county. 

WOOD COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Wood county, situated on the Ohio river, was formed in 
1799 from part of Harrison. Since its formation Jackson, 
Ritchie, Wirt, and Pleasants, the four West Virginia counties 
which adjoin it, have been formed in part from the original 
territory. Its area is 357 square miles or 228,480 acres. 

Topography. 

There are no special surface features which dijfferentiate 
the Wood county area from that of the Ohio river counties 
already described. The acreage of bottom land is relatively 
greater in this county, however, than in some of the adjacent 
ones, owing to the long frontage on the Ohio river and to the 
passage through of the broad-valleyed Little Kanawha. 

The Ohio river flov/s at the western edge of the county for 
a distance of about 40 miles, and the Little Kanawha river flows 
northwest for half that distance, through the central section, 
emptying into the Ohio at Parkersburg. Some of the smaller 
tributaries of the Ohio river are Pond creek, Lee creek, and 
Island creek, emptying south of Parkersburg; and Pond run, 



316 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Big run and Bull creek, emptying farther north. The princi- 
pal tributaries of the Little Kanawha, named from its mouth 
to the Wirt county line, are Neal run, Tygart creek, and Slate 
creek, flowing in from the south, and Worthington creek. Still- 
well creek, and Walker creek, flowing in from the north. 

Original Timber Conditions. ■ 

The white oak and other hardwoods of the Ohio and Little 
Kanawha river valleys grew in great abundance and were of 
excellent quality in this county. Yellow pine, and other soft- 
woods in smaller quantities, such as hemlock, white pine, and 
pitch pine, grew locally through the hilly sections. 

The Lumber Industry. 

Parkersburg has been, and is still, the center of a lively 
lumber industry. This fact is due to the city's situation at 
the mouth of the Little Kanawha river — the natural outlet and 
transportation channel for the vast forests of white oak and 
other hardwoods that once grew within its basin. Eafts of logs 
have been common on the river for 50 years, or more, and 
Parkersburg has been the headquarters for the buyers of logs, 
and lumber, and cross-ties, cut in the counties which are drained 
by this stream. 

]\Iany mills have operated in the county during the last 
75 years. ]\Iost of them have moved out and their names have 
been forgotten; but a few remain to the present day, the larger 
of which are engaged in sawing from lands bought up and held 
for their timber, and the smaller in sawing cross-ties and lum- 
ber from the smaller and more inferior trees. 

One mill in particular should be mentioned in this connec- 
tion, namely, the plant of the Parkersburg Mill Company. 
According to Mr. Daniel Gould, one of the original partners in 
the Parkersburg Mill Company, the mill had its beginning as 
early as 1825 when a sash saw mill was built and operated near 
the present site. Who owned the original mill is not known. 
In 1853, however, Daniel Gould became a partner with William 
B. Caswell, who had moved from Massachusetts to Parkersburg 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



317 



some years before that time, and who had come into possession 
of the old mill. Shortly after the partnership was formed the 
mill burned down but was rebuilt immediately. A circular 
saw was then substituted for the upright saw, and planing, grist 
and other machinery added. Several years later the mill was 
remodeled and improved, a band saw being installed with the 
circular saw at that time. Fire destroyed the plant again in 
1907. Again it was rebuilt, and stands today as one of the best 
hardwood mills in West Virginia. The mill is equipped for 
handling logs from 50 to 80 feet in length, and orders for oak 
and other hardwood timbers of practically every dimension are 
filled. The quantity of timber taken from the waters of the 
Little Kanawha river by this company during the past 50 
years is almost beyond computation. A stock of 5 million feet, 
or over, is kept in storage at the mill and in the company's 
booms up the river. 

Some of the rafters who have operated extensively in the 
past, or are still operating, are C. Crane & Company, of Cin- 
cinnati, McConaughey & Company, D. M. Miller, Withers & 
Vandevender, and many other local operators. 

The principal lumber industry at the present time is the 
manufacture of hardwood lumber by the Parkersburg ]\Iill 
Company, and other smaller mills at Parkersburg, and by the 
Nicolette Lumber Company at Nicolette, on the B. & 0. railroad. 
A few small portable mills are still operating irregularly in var- 
ious parts of the county. 

The cross-tie industry has been large, and even in 1909 
there were about 20,000 ties cut and sold in the area. This, 
however, cannot long continue at this rate unless better protec- 
tion and care be given the woodland which remains. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

Farmers o^vn all the woodland of the county as woodlots 
connected with their cleared land. Some have retained a lim- 
ited amount of good timber, but, for the most part, the cross- 
tie and pole timber, even, has been taken off. The numerous 
wood-manufacturing establishments in Parkersburg, such as 
furniture factories, chair factories, planing mills, etc., are draw- 



318 CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 

ing their supply of rough material, largely, from poijits iar 
removed from this once tinely timbered region. 

WYOMING COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 

Wyoming county, formed in 1850 from Logan county, has 
an area of 526 square miles or 336,640 acres. It lies north of 
McDowell, the southernmost county of West Virginia, and is 
joined on its other sides by the counties of Mingo, Logan, Boone, 
Raleigh and Mercer. 

Topography. 

The 1,000 foot contour line extends into the county for a 
short distance, only, along the low ground where the Guyandot 
river flows out. From this point the upward slope of the land 
surface is toward the east and northeast where the dividing 
ridges which separate the waters of the Guyandot from those of 
the Great Kanawha rise to an elevation of 3,000 feet or more. 
The northern boundary line of the county crosses Ivy knob at 
3,693 feet. Although this county lies within the Alleghany Pla- 
teau and derives its name from an Indian term signifying a 
plain, the surface is so deeply dissected and broken in all di- 
rections that it bears but little resemblance either to a plateau 
or to a plain. 

The Guyandot river drains the whole area of the county. 
Its principal tributaries are Clear fork, with its Toney and 
Laurel branches, Indian and Pinnacle creeks which drain the 
southern part, and Big Huff creek which drains the northwest- 
em corner of the county. Above the ''Roughs" at the southern 
end of Huff mountain the Guyandot flows between narrow banks 
and with a moderate fall. Clear fork has wider bottoms and 
flows less swiftly than the main stream. 

Former Timber Conditions. 

Poplar, oak, hemlock and chestnut once grew in great 
abundance in Wyoming county. Besides these there were small- 
er quantities of ash, basswood, black walnut, cucumber, maple, 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



319 



hickory, beech, birch, locust, buckeye, black gum, sycamore, 
wild cherry, pitch pine, and others of less value. The excellent 
quality of poplar, hemlock, cucumber, bass wood and walnut 
should be mentioned. The quantity of black walnut was not 
large, but on Clear fork and Big Huff creek, it grew in consider- 
able abundance and was often figured. The oaks, white oak, 
red oak, black oak, chestnut oak and scarlet oak^ were abundant, 
particularly white oak, but were more or less inferior in quality. 

The Lumber Industry. 

Except for a little rafting on the lower waters of the Guy- 
andot no timber was taken out before 1890. All that was manu- 
factured on whip saws and small mills prior to that date was 
used for domestic purposes. All the logs and lumber so far 
taken out have been floated down the Guyandot river, hauled 
on wagons to the Norfolk and Western railroad in McDowell 
county, or shipped over the Virginian railroad which has re- 
cently tapped the extensive forests in the eastern end of the 
county. 

Floating on the Guyandot. 

Extensive floating began about 18 years ago and is still 
carried on. The Little Kanawha Lumber Company floated 
poplar, ash, cucumber and basswood logs and manufactured 
them into lumber on their mill at Portsmouth, Ohio. This com- 
pany operated for about 7 years. The Yellow Poplar Lumber 
Company also floated timber of the same kinds and manufac- 
tured it at Coal Grove, Ohio. H. Gordon floated poplar, ash, 
cucumber, basswood and black walnut logs to Huntington, West 
Virginia, and manufactured them there. The Ohio Falls Car 
Company floated poplar timber to their works at Jeffersomdlle, 
Indiana. M. Goble floated poplar, also, and sold it on the 
market. All these companies and individuals named above 
began floating about the year 1892 and ceased operations from 
1896 to 1899. C. Crane and Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, com- 
menced floating on the Guyandot and its larger tributaries in 
1 896 but did not operate actively until 4 years later. Since then 



320 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



the company has handled the bulk of the timber which has gone 
out. Probably not less than 30 million cubes of poplar, oak, 
hemlock, ash, cucumber, chestnut, and a small quantity of black 
walnut and basswood have been rafted to Cincinnati from 
Wyoming county and sawed by this company on its 3 band 
mills located in that city. Other smaller operators were S. H. 
Nigh who floated small black walnut logs to Catlettsburg, Ken- 
tucky, in 1900, Jefferson Gill who floated poplar and ash to be 
manufactured by the Freedman Lumber Company at New 
Richmond, Ohio, and Newman and Spanner who have floated 
poplar, ash and cucumber to Ironton, Ohio. 

Saw Mills. 

Large quantites of timber have been taken out by saw mill 
companies. R. E. Wood Lumber Company, 1898-1906, sawed at 
Hanover on Little Huff creek, taking the timber from about 
5,000 acres. The lumber from this mill was hauled across the 
mountains to the Norfolk and Western railroad, Crosby and 
Beckley Lumber Company, 1898-1902, operated 2 mills, one on 
Indian creek, another on Pinnacle creek, cutting the timber 
from about 5,000 acres. E, H. Suddeth Lumber Company, in 
operation since 1902, has cut over 4,000 acres. Keys-Fannin 
Lumber Company, at Herndon on the Virginian railroad, has 
operated a band mill since 1904. The W. M. Ritter Lumber 
Company, with a band mill at Maben on the Virginian railroad, 
is cutting timber from a large virgin tract lying in Wyoming 
and Raleigh counties, A number of small mills, also, have been 
sawing for the past few years at various points. The black 
walnut was taken out of the county, principally, on wagons to 
the Norfolk and Western railroad from 1895 to 1900. There 
are now in operation in the county 2 band mills and 19 circular 
mills. These have a combined capacity of about 45 million feet 
annually. If we estimate the present stand of timber at 800 
million feet, the mills that are now in the county, if kept run- 
ning at the present rate, will cut every foot of it in 18 years. 

The probabilities are, however, that at least some mer- 
chantable timber will be standing in the county 18 years hence. 
Within 10 years the virgin areas will be cut over. Then the 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 321 

large mills will move on to other fields, probably outside tlie 
state, leaving the cutting of the balance to smaller operators as 
the lumber is needed or sold by coal companies and other own- 
ers. Doubtless some areas of good timber will be maintained by 
those who are now conservative cutters and by others who will 
be shown by the stress of circumstances the necessity for care- 
ful preservation of young, growing timber. Floating will be 
kept up on the Guyandot but to what extent it is difficult to 
say. 

The Present Forest Conditions. 

Wyoming county now contains: 

44,150 acres Virgin Forest, 
192,490 acres Cut-over Forest, 
100,000 acres Farm Land. 

The greater part of the virgin forest land lies in the eastern 
part of the county along the Raleigh boundary line. About a 
dozen isolated areas of different sizes are scattered through the 
interior. Practically all the virgin area is in the hands of oper- 
ators and will be cut over within the space of a few years. Ivlure 
than half of the whole area of the county must be classed as 
cut-over forest land. This, in many places, still contains a fair 
percentage of the original stand of timber for the reason, in 
part, that some of the largest floaters have established a 
16-inch cutting limit. The 100,000 acres of farm land lies, prin- 
cipally, in more or less narrow strips along the principal water 
courses. The largest and best farming section is along the Clear 
FoTk of Guyandot. There are about 60,000 acres of land under 
cultivation and in grass. 



21 



CHAPTER VIL 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



The brief discussioiis below outline the forestry policies and 
the progress in forestry in 20 states, including most of those 
which have been for the longest time prominently and success- 
fully connected with this work. It will be observed that, while 
there is considerable apparent diversity of method employed 
by the different states, there is, nevertheless, great uniformity 
of aim and purpose. All are waging war on fires as the most 
destructive enemy of forests ; all are working for greater econ- 
omy in the cutting and utilization of timber trees ; all are carry- 
ing on an educational campaign through the circulation of lit- 
erature and through public instruction; and nearly all are 
seeking to become, or have already become, the owners of non- 
agricultural lands within their borders to be managed as state 
forest reservations. Some states, such as West Virginia and 
Tennessee, have practically the whole problem of the future 
care of their forests before them; others, such as Pennsylvania 
and New York, have long ago solved the problem for themselves 
by establishing a system of forestry on a broad basis and by the 
acquisition of immense areas of forest land to be held and used 
for the pepetual good of all the citizens of the commonwealths. 

Other states besides the twenty which deserve special men- 
tion for their activity in forestry work are Massachusetts, Min- 
nesota, and Oregon. The states of Rhode Island, Tennessee, 
Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Virginia, and Montana have 
also taken steps, either through some state organization or in co- 
operation with the Grovernment Forest Service, to preserve their 
forests. 

A list of states classified according to the official bodies 
directing their forestry work, and a list of state forest officers 
are included at the end of this chapter. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



323 



ALABAMA. 

The forestry work in Alabama has been done through the 
State Commission of Forestry consisting of the Governor, as 
chairman, and 5 other members, and through the Commission in 
co-operation with the United States Forest Service. 

The following quotation from a report of John H. Wallace, 
Jr., State Game and Fish Commissioner and Secretary of the 
State Commission of Forestry, will serve to show in some meas- 
ure the condition of Alabama forests and the work undertaken 
for their protection : 

*'In conformity with the plan outlined by the State Com- 
mission of Forestry, bulletins have been issued directing the 
attention of the people to the economic value of the forests of 
Alabama. Although circumscribed in action by the very lim- 
ited appropriation made by the legislature, still such labors as 
we have been able to prosecute have been fruitful of most ex- 
cellent results. To a large extent the reckless destruction of 
useful timber trees has been checked, the annual burning of 
forests has been discouraged, and many inquiries have been 
made by the people with a view of engaging in the art of timber 

*'It should be most gratifying to the State Commission of 
Forestry to know that the Department of Agriculture at Wash- 
ington classes the statute that brought us into official existence, 
as pre-eminently superior to any law ever enacted in the United 
States for the preservation and protection of the forests. The 
State Commission of Forestry should continue to disseminate 
useful information among the people, that will awaken them to 
an active interest in the preservation of their woodlands. 

"Within a decade practically every vestage of the remain- 
ing virgin forests of Alabama will have been cut away, hence 
the problem which will confront the people of the state is the 
care of their second growth growing timber which in time, if 
properly treated, will develop into commercial trees. * * * * * 

"The work of saving the forests of Alabama from complete 
obliteration, which has been begun so favorably, should be vig- 
orously pushed, even into the remotest sections of the state, 
for upon the preservation of the trees depends the health, the 



324 FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 

happiness, the well-being of the people. The destruction of the 
forests will bring floods and droughts; scarcity of timber and 
lumber for building purposes will impose hardships unrivaled 
in their direful effects; and even now wood for fuel in some 
sections of Alabama is becoming alarmingly scarce. * * *" 

The law creating the Commission of Forestry, approved 
by the Governor Nov. 30, 1907, provides among other things : 

1 — That it is the duty of the Commission to inquire into 

the condition of forests in the state and report on 
the same, and to recommend desirable legislation in 
reference to forestry. 

2 — That the Governor is authorized, upon recommendation 

of the Commission, to accept gifts of land to the 
state to be held and administered as state forest 
reserves. 

3 — That when the owner or owners of any land which has 

been denuded of trees, or any other land the 
assessed value of which shall not at the time of ap- 
plication exceed the sum of five dollars per acre, 
shall contract in writing with the Commission of 
Forestry to plant or grow upon the said land suit- 
able and useful timber trees in such manner as they 
shall prescribe to protect the said land from fire 
and to maintain the trees so planted or grown upon 
it in a live and thrifty condition for a period of ten 
years and to cut or to remove from said land within 
that time, no tree or trees except as permitted in 
said contract; it shall be lawful for the state tax 
commission and they are hereby authorized, upon 
the recommendation of the Commission of Forestry, 
to exempt such land from taxation for the period of 
ten years next thereafter in which the said land is 
to be so maintained. 

4 — 'That the County Game and Fish Wardens already pro- 

vided for by existing laws, be and are hereby 
declared and designated, Forest Wardens, whose 
duty it shall be to enforce the forest laws of the 
state and to carry out the provisions of this and 
other acts relating to forest preservation. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



325 



5 — That the malicious setting of fire to the woods shall be 

a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $25 to $200 
or imprisonment for 30 days to 1 year, or both. 

6 — That all monies received from fines, etc., shall be placed 

to the credit of the Forest Reserve Fund. 
Experts of the Government Forest Service have made a 
preliminary survey of the forest resources of Alabama and 
have published the results, accompanied with recommendations 
for the state's future forestry policy. 

CALIFORNIA. 

Active forestry work in California began with the creation 
in 1905 of a State Board of Forestry and the appointment in 
the same year of a State Forester. The duties of the State 
Forester are briefly outlined under the following heads . 

1 — Appointment of 2 assistant foresters. 

2 — ^Acting as Secretary of State Board of Forestry. 

3 — Execution of all matters pertaining to forestry in the 

state. 

4 — Charge of all firewardens in the state's employ. 

5 — Control of the protection and improvement of state 

parks and forests. 

6 — 'Collection of data relative to forest destruction and 

forest conditions. 

7 — Taking such action as is necessary to prevent and ex- 

tinguish brush and grass fires. 

8— — Co-operation with land owners — individuals, counties, 

towns and corporations — for management and pro- 
tection of woodland. 

9 — Publication of literature to advance forestry in the 

state. 

10 — Reporting annually to the Governor on progress of 
work and making recommendations for improve- 
ment of forestry system. 
In his review of forestry work done in California, both in 
his first and second reports, G. B. Lull, State Forester, points 
out that the problem of protecting the extensive forests from 
fire has engaged the principal efforts of the State Board of For- 
estry. In this work the Board co-operates with the Government 



326 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



Forest Service which has in charge the 25 million acres of Gov- 
ernment forest in the state. The forest fire laws are said to be 
particularly satisfactory. 

Wm. C. Hodge, Deputy Forester, states in a recent letter 
that a large field of work, which is constantly increasing, is the 
giving advice and assistance to tree planters. 

The principal plantations are of the various species of 
Eucalyptus: — an exotic from Australia,, introduced about 50 
years ago. There have already been several thousand acres of 
the 100 or more species of this genus planted in the state. The 
Blue Gum, Eucalyptus globulus, is most successfully grown in 
many sections. This fast-growing and hardy tree often attains 
a diameter of 20 inches and a height of 125 feet in 15 years. 

CONNECTICUT. 

The forest policy of the state of Connecticut camprises the 
following : 

1 — Efficient protection of forest lands from fire by means 

of town forest fire warden service. 

2 — Ownership by the state of reserves as direct object 

lessons in forestry. 

3 — Scientific experiments and investigation in forest plant- 

ing and forest management. 

4 — Co-operative assistance of private owners in the plant- 

ing of forests and the management of woodland. 

5 — Educational work by addresses before clubs, associa- 

tions, granges, etc. 

Active work has been conducted in the state since 1901 
when a forester was appointed in the Connecticut Agricultural 
Experiment Station. Subsequently he became by legislative 
act the State Forester and State Forest Fire "Warden. 

The laws of Connecticut intended to prevent and to regu- 
late forest fires seem to have been unsatisfactory from early in 
the 19th century to the revision of 1902, and were in many 
instances practically a dead letter. In order to check the con- 
stantly increasing damage by fire to the young forests the 
offices of Town and District Fire Warden were created at the 
January session of the General Assembly of 1903. The forest 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



327 



fire laws were added to and amended during the session of 1907 
and again in 1909. The operation of the law so far has tended 
toward more efficient control of forest fires and promises to re- 
duce to the minimum losses resulting from this cause. 

The State has acquired by purchase forest reserves in 3 
counties, Tolland, Hartford and Middlesex, aggregating about 
1,360 acres. In answer to an inquiry directed to Mr. Samuel 
N. Spring, State Forester and State Forest Fire Warden, he 
makes the following reply: ^'It is the purpose to establish a 
reserve in each county of the state that there may be good 
sized blocks of forest in each county that are handled under the 
principles of forestry to demonstrate the value of this work to 
the private owner. The law originally provided that not more 
than $2.50 per acre should be paid for this land. This was 
subsequently changed to a maximum price of $4.00 an acre. 
The largest body of land acquired by the state is 1,066 acres in 
the Town of Portland, Middlesex County, at an average cost of 
less than $2.00 an acre." The land generally acquired has 
been recently cut-over forest of young growth, so that profit- 
able returns are not yet obtainable. In the Middlesex forest 
there are, however, some lots containing timber 25 to 30 years 
old in which experimental thinnings have been made and the 
products disposed of profitably. The state forest in Simsbury, 
Hartford County, consists of purely waste, brush-covered land 
which prior to being acquired by the state was annually burned 
over. Since it was taken by the state no fires have occurred. 
In order to bring the several forest reserves into a state of the 
greatest possible produtivity the state is dependent, first, on 
protection from fire by a well-equipped and well-paid fire 
warden service ; second, on aid to natural reproduction by occa- 
sional "improvement thinnings;" and third, on the planting 
of valuable species of trees on unoccupied lands. 

In making thinnings the trees that are especially favored 
in Connecticut are chestnut, white pine, oak, hickory and white 
ash. Those that are usually removed are gray birch, red cedar, 
ironwood, sassafras, and some others. 

Planting of trees, principally tvhite pine, is being carried 
on by the state, by water companies and by private land owners. 
The principal plantations by private owners have been made 



328 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



since 1906 when the Experiment Station undertook to find 
seedlings for planters at reasonable prices. During 2 recent 
years private owners planted 350,000 trees; water companies 
and similar concerns planted 200,000 trees; and the state 
planted 85,000 trees, making a total planted for forestry pur- 
poses in Connecticut of 635,000 trees. 

The Experiment Station since 1901 has been conducting 
^ experiments in forest planting at Rainbow, Connecticut, and 

within 2 years has acquired 4 acres of 30-year-old white pine 
which had been established by seed sowing. On this latter tract 
experiments in thinning were conducted in the spring of 1909. 
The trees on these experiment plots will be measured periodi- 
cally and further thinnings made as required, the whole being 
conducted as a scientific experiment in the handling of white 
pine forests. The accumulated results of this experiment and 
the work at Rainbow are published from time to time. 

Upon application private owners throughout the state are 
given assistance in the planting of forests and the management 
of woodland. The expenses of travel and the subsistence of the 
Forester while engaged on the work are borne by the private 
owner. The result of this work has been the undertaking by 
many water companies and by private land owners of definite 
forest work, as indicated above. 

So far as there is opportunity the Forester spreads the 
knowledge of forestry by means of addresses before associa- 
tions, granges and other public meetings. 

^ DELAWARE. 

During the 1909 session of the Legislature of the state of 
Delaware a law was passed entitled, *'An Act to Establish a 
State Board of Forestry." This Board is to consist of 5 mem- 
bers: the Governor, the Secretary of State, President of the 
State Board of Agriculture, Director of the Experiment Sta- 
tion, and the Forester of Delaware College, who is to act as 
secretary of the Forestry Board. Under the law the Forester 
is to have charge of all forestry matters in the state. Among 
the particular duties prescribed are: 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICxVL ' SURVEY. 



329 



1 — Growing and distribution of shade tree nursery stock. 

2 — Supervision of state forest lands. 

3 — Formulation of a policy for control of forest fires and 

recommendation of fire wardens for appointment by 
the Governor. 

In actual practice, but little action has been taken in com- 
pliance with the provisions of the new law. The passage of the 
law, however, is a step in the direction of conservation and 
makes possible the operation of an effective forestry system. 

INDIANA. 

The forestry work of Indiana is in charge of a State Board 
of Forestry created by an act of the General Assembly ap- 
proved on March 1st, 1901. The secretary of the Board is state 
forester and as such devotes his time exclusively to forestry 
matters. A sufficient amount is appropriated to cover salary 
and traveling expenses of the secretary and the salary of a 
clerk employed in his office at Indianapolis. 

The work of the Board is varied, including among other 
things, co-operation in forestry work with individuals and cor- 
porations; management of the state- forest reservation; advice 
through correspondence and personal visits to owners of wood- 
land; collection and publication of information relative to gen- 
eral forestry conditions in the state. 

An act of the Assembly authorizing the State Board of 
Forestry to purchase 2^000 acres for "a state forest reserva- 
tion, laboratory of forestry demonstration and state nursery" 
was passed in 1903. Under authority of this act the Board 
purchased a suitable tract in Clark county and at once placed 
the same under scientific management. A number of plantings 
have been made on the reservation for the purpose of demon- 
strating to the farmers and other planters of the state the value 
of a careful observance of soil adaptation, pruning, cultivation, 
rate of growth, spacing, and insect enemies of each species of 
tree, and for the purpose, also, of determining the most valua- 
ble trees and the best methods of propagation to be used in 
Indiana. Tests have been made, or are now under way, of such 
species as ash, poplar, oak, hickory, black walnut, white elm, 



330 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



locust, osage orange and catalpa. Every precaution is taken to 
avoid forest fires in the reservation. Several fire roads are 
maintained and a fire lane snrroimding tlie whole tract has 
recently been made. As a further safeguard against fire no 
smoking or hunting is allowed at any time of the year. A tele- 
phone is kept up for the purpose, in part, of giving alarm in 
case of fire. 

Persons responsible for the destruction of property in any 
part of the state caused by forest fires, carelessly or accident- 
ally set, are made liable under the law to a fine not exceeding 
$50, for each offense and for full damages sustained by the 
owners. Road supervisors are fire wardens and are empowered 
to summon all necessary help for the purpose of extinguishing 
fires within their jurisdiction. 

There are no extensive forest areas in the state. Practi- 
cally all the woodland is in the form of small woodlots. These, 
in many cases, have been closely pastured and are in poor con- 
dition for the production of wood. 

The following extract taken from the Ninth Annual Report 
of the Board of Forestry sets forth the policy that is to be In- 
sisted on: 

''The problem of the future of the forests of Indiana is 
merely the problem of securing the proper handling and care 
of the woodlots and small timbered areas held by individual 
owners. If such areas are wisely handled and conservatively 
lumbered there is no reason why they should not for years yield 
a steady and increasing income and at the same time show a 
steady and marked increase in quality and value. In other 
words, the problem of the future timber supply in the state is 
very largely a problem of education. ************ 
The real peril lies in the fact that the process of education is 
a very slow one and that existing timber areas may be greatly 
reduced in value or completely destroyed before a knowledge 
of the better methods has become common property. ' ' 

Rapid progress has been made in recent years in creating 
a sentiment favorable to better methods of handling woodland. 
Considerable time is given to the teaching of forestry in ':he 
public schools. The press has been active in promoting fores- 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



331 



try; and an educational campaign through, the preparation 
and distribution of press bulletins, by correspondence and by 
' various other means, is being conducted by the secretary of the 
State Forestry Board. 

KANSAS. 

Important forestry investigations have been conducted by 
the Kansas State Agricultural College since the early days of 
its existence, and, prior to 1909v most of the work done was 
accomplished through this agency. Naturally, the problem in 
central and western Kansas has been the reforesting of prairies. 
Forest tree plantings have been made at various times frora 
1874 to 1909. These have been under scientific observation 
and have made possible such studies by the State Agricultural 
College as rate of growth of various species; methods of propa 
gation ; the value of various species for windbreaks, commercial 
plantations, and as ornamental trees; the causes of success and 
failure of artificial forests; investigation of the value and dis- 
tribution of native species, etc. 

In 1887 the legislature established 2 State Forestry Sta- 
tions, one near Ogallah in Trego County, another near Dodge 
City in Ford County. Both stations are situated on elevated 
prairie land such as predominates in the western third of Kan- 
sas. The chief work of the stations has been the growing ^f 
forest tree seedlings and distributing them to the citizens of 
the state. Although the work at these places was neglected 
during some periods large numbers of trees were grown anl 
distributed. Species of trees grown for distribution and for 
demonstration planting at Ogallah and Dodge Cit}^ ^stations 
include the follomng: red cedar, austrian pine, scotch pine, 
green ash, black locust, honey locust, osage orange, black walnut, 
hackberry, |coffee bean, russian mulberry, ailanthus;, russian 
olive, Cottonwood and catalpas. 

According to Prof. Albert Dickens, former State Forester, 
"The forestry work that has been done in central and western 
Kansas in the past quarter century has resulted in a large num- 
ber of good tree plantations, many poor ones and some total 
failures." Further on in his ''Report of Conditions in Central 



332 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



and Western Kansas" Prof. Dickens asserts: "Since the 
prairie fires have been restricted and the fuel need of the set- 
tlers supplied by the coal miner and freight car, the area of 
natural timber has increased at a most gratifying rate. Thirty 
years ago the Arkansas west of Hutchinson, and its tributaries 
from the south, were practically devoid of trees. Today there 
are many acres that are under forest conditions and the forest 
area is increasing." 

The conclusion is reached in this report that fires have had 
much to do in the formation of treeless regions and that if 
proper attention is given to soil preparation, selection of 
species, and condition of tree when set, plantations will be sue 
cessful in nearly all locations. 

A Division of Forestry under direction of the Board of 
Regents of the Kansas State Agricultural College was estab- 
lished by Act of Legislature in March, 1910. The new law 
provides for a State Forester, Assistant Forester and Assistants 
in charge of the forestry stations at Dodge City and Ogallah. 
The State Forester's duties are prescribed in the following 
sections of the law : 

/ "Section 1. For the promotion of forestry in Kansas 
there shall be established in the Kansas State Agricultural Col- 
lege, under direction of the board of regents, a division of for- 
estry. The board of regents of the Kansas State Agricultural 
College shall appoint a state forester who shall have general 
supervision of all experimental and demonstration work in 
forestry conducted by the Experiment Station. He shall pro 
mote practical forestry in every possible way, compile and dis- 
seminate information relative to forestry, and publish the re- 
sults of such work through bulletins, press notices, and in such 
other ways as may be most practicable to reach the public, and 
by lecturing before farmer's institutes, associations and other 
organizations interested in forestry. 

"Sec. 2. The state forester shall employ, under direction of 
the board of regents of the Kansas State Agricultural College, 
such assistants, who shall be practical foresters, laborers and 
clerks, and shall purchase necessary office furniture and equip- 
ment as may be needed to carry into effect the purpose of this 
act. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



333 



''Sec. 3. The State forester shall, upon request, co-operate 
with towns, counties, corporations and individuals in preparing 
planting plans and plans for the protection, management and 
replacement of trees, wood lots and timber tracts under an 
agreement that the person obtaining such assistance shall pay 
the field expenses of such work." 

Appointments under the law have already been made. A 
forest policy, prepared and submitted by the State Forester, 
has been approved by the board of regents and work of the 
new organization is under way. According to the proposed for- 
est policy "The projects requiring immediate attention come 
under 2 classes : First, State work which includes the nursery and 
planting operations at the Dodge City, Ogallah and Hays sta- 
tions; second, all kinds of cooperative work." 

Nursery work at the Dodge City and Ogallah stations is 
to be abandoned and the free distribution of forest tree seed- 
ings eliminated. About twenty acres will be set aside, however, 
at the Hays Branch Station for nursery purposes. The new 
nursery will be developed for the purpose of growing trees suita- 
ble for conditions in western Kansas. The plantations at the 
Dodge City and Ogallah Stations and all cooperative plantations 
will be supplied with nursery stock from the Hays Branch at cost 
of production. The old stations mil be devoted, in part, to 
demonstration plantings and to experiments in crop-growing 
with a system of windbreaks. 

^ The forestry division has planned to carry on extensive 
co-operative work with individual land owners in all parts of 
the state. According to these plans from 4: to 6 demonstration 
plantations, each containing not less than 5 acres, are to he 
established in every county in western Kansas. 

In a communication from Prof. C. A. Scott, the recently 
appointed State Forester of Kansas, the statement is made, 
'*In addition to the purely forestry work in the state, ive are 
laying considerable emphasis on park forestry, and at the pres- 
ent time have several applications from toivns throughout the 
state for park plans. Mr. Jansen, my assistant, is an expert 
landscape gardner and this end of the work is being turned 
over to him." 



334 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



KENTUCKY. 

The Kentucky State Board of Agriculture, Forestry and 
Immigration and the United States Forest Service have been 
conducting for the past 3 years a co-operative study and survey 
of the forests of the state. For this purpose $2,000 may be used 
out of the annual appropriations by the Board, and this amount 
is duplicated by the Forest Service. 

So far, a careful investigation has been made by expert 
forest examiners covering more than half of the total area of 
the state and carefully prepared maps and reports have been 
published to show the prevailing conditions found. 

The result of this study, it is expected, will be the inaugur- 
ation of a complete forest policy as recommended by the Forest 
Service. This will include the appointment of a State Board 
of Forestry; the employment of a State Forester; the enact- 
ment of efficient forest fire laws; the appointment of forest fire 
wardens; and ^he acquirement and administration of state 
forest reservations. 

MAINE. 

The Forest Commission of Maine is devoting its principal 
energies to the prevention and control of fires in the state's 
vast forest areas. The forest fire laws are executed by a large 
number of chief and deputy fire wardens who are under direc- 
tion of the forest commissioner. A feature of the law that has 
been eminently Successful gives the forest commissioner 
authority to establish lookout stations connected by telephone, 
and to equip and maintain depots for the necessary tools for 
the extinguishment of forest fires.'' 

In a letter addressed to the state forester of New York and 
dated January 6th, 1909, Mr. Edgar E. Ring, Land Agent and 
Forest Commissioner of Maine, writes of the lookout stations 
as follows : ' ' We have in this state nine lookout stations located 
on high points of land, in which men are stationed during the 
summer season to watch for forest fires." 

''They are a great success and we expect to establish a 
number more the coming season. They are connected by tele- 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



335 



phone to the nearest firewarden and are equipped with a range 
findeir, compass, strong field glasses, and a plan of the surround- 
ing country, drawn to a careful scale. With these instruments 
our wardens have located fires accurately 30 miles distant, noti- 
fied the wardens and had them extinguished before making any 
great headway. 

"In my opinion one man located at a station will do more 
effectual work in discovering and locating fires than a hundred 
would patrolling." 

MARYLAND. 

Practical forestry work began in Maryland with a co-oper- 
ative study of forest conditions in 7 counties made by the state 
and the Federal Division of Forestry from 1900 to 1905. Aside 
from the value in itself of this study it served to show the need 
for additional investigation by the state. 

In 1906 a State Board of Forestry was created which, dur- 
ing the four years of its existence, has taken the lead in devel- 
oping and carrying on an onginal system of forest study and 
forest mapping. Eighteen of the 23 counties have been studied 
and surveyed and a mass of valuable information gathered 
from almost every quarter. The Board has issued 2 general 
reports, the second including preliminary discussions by the 
State Forester of Forests and Forest Management for 2 counties. 

The success of forestry in Maryland has resulted, in large 
measure, from an awakened public sentiment stimulated and 
encouraged by the efficient efforts of a State Forester and his- 
co-workers. About one-half of the Forester's time is devoted to 
county studies,, as outlined below. Among his other duties are 
lectures on forestry delivered at the State Agricultural College 
and before Farmer's Institutes during the winter months; 
practical assistance to owners in the management of woodlands ; 
supervision of 4 forest reserves comprising an area of 1957 
acres; examination of farmers' woodlots and preparation of 
planting plans; dissemination of a knowledge of the principles 
- of forestry through correspondence and personal interviews? 



336 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



control of forest fires ; preparation of forestry leaflets and other 
matter for publication. 

The system of field study, referred to above, is briefly out- 
lined as follows; Three or 4 men are assigned to work in as 
many adjoining counties, each working separately but under 
supervision first, of the State Forester, who has general charge 
of field and office work, and second, under an experienced field 
chief who devotes his time among the field assistants. The as- 
sistants traverse all the principal roads with horse and buggy 
(or on horseback in very rough sections) and each is further 
equipped with mounted and folded county map, a rule for scal- 
ing distances, an odometer for checking short distances, an 
angle mirror, a pair of calipers, a height measure, and a 50-foot 
metallic tape. With this equipment and a little experience the 
assistants are enabled to classify rapidly and with fair accuracy 
the kinds and stand of timber on wooded areas. Two main 
divisions of timber are considered separately, — the hardwoods 
and the conifers. Both hardwoods and softwoods are divided 
into the merchantable class, the culled class and the sapling 
class. The merchantable hardwoods are subdivided into 3 
divisions according to the stand per acre, and the same is done 
in the case of cuUed hardwoods. In order to obtain a basis for 
the calculation of timber stands and as a means of checking up 
ocular estimates a large number of sample plots, each contain- 
ing one-tenth of an acre, are selected in wooded areas repre- 
senting the various classes to be studied and careful estimates 
made of the quantity of timber, etc. The field chief, in addition 
to his work of assisting in taking the sample plots and over- 
seeing the field work, collects such other data as will be valuable 
in the preparation of detailed county reports. Frequent reports 
are made to the main office where the State Forester is prepar- 
ing maps for publication, tabulating data for county reports, 
and calculating timber stands on sample plots. 

Only 2 colors are used qn the forest maps, — red for hard- 
woods and green for conifers. By means of solid colors and 
horizontal and oblique lines, it is possible to represent a great 
variety of types and classes. The cost of the field study has not 
exceeded 54 cents per square mile. 

Below is a statement showing the progress of forestry in 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



337 



Maryland prepared for this report by Mr. F. W. Besley, State 
Forester : 

1900-1905— Study of forest conditions by the State Geo- 
logical Survey in co-operation with the federal 
Division of Forestry. Conditions in seven counties 
studied and reports published by State Geological 
Survey for five of these, viz., Alleghany, Garrett, 
Cecil, Calvert and St. Mary's. Publication of a 
forest map of Worcester County. 

1906 — An Act of the Assembly creating a State Board of 
Forestry and enacting forest laws. F. W. Besley 
appointed State Forester. 

1907 — A forest survey of the state begun by the State 
Board of Forestry. Four tracts of woodland com- 
prising 1957 acres given to the state for Forest Be- 
serves. Publication of first report by Board of 
Forestry. 

1908 — Appointment of a State Conservation Commission. 

1909 — Second report of the State Board of Forestry pub- 
lished. Publication of a report of the Maryland 
Conservation Commission, including a chapter on 
Forest Reserves. Creation of a State Conservation 
Bureau. 

MICHIGAN. 

The question of forestry began to be agitated in Michigan 
about 25 years ago by the State Horticultural Society. Fruit 
growers in the southern part of the state became alarmed on 
account of the ill effects to their industry produced by the re- 
moval of the foirest and began to work with special reference 
to windbreaks and the preservation of a reasonable amount of 
forest land in the interest of conditions that would promote 
horticulture. 

The first definite action along forestry lines was the crea- 
tion of the Forestry Commission in 1899. Two of the three 
members which composed the Commission were appointed by 
the Governor and the third was the Commissioner of the state 
22 



338 FORESTRY IX THE STATES. 

land office wlio was secretaiy of the Commissioii by virtue of his 
office. The Commission was given authority to appoint a Forest 
Warden at a salary of $1,000 a year. 

The organization at once planned to manage the immense 
holdings of state lands, the planting of trees on the western 
border to check the movement of the lake shore sands, the 
awakenitig of an interest in the protection of southern water- 
sheds, and the solution of questions arising from conditions in 
the great non-agricultural region on the north. Also, more 
conservative methods of lumbering were urged, a study of the 
development of water power was made, farmers and orehardists 
were iustructed in the management of woodlots. nurseries were 
established, and the people were further enlightened by means 
of discussions through the press and from the platform. 

In 1903 about 35,000 acres of state lands in 3 townships 
were set aside as a permanent forest reserve and an appropria- 
tion of $7,500 per year was made for its care. The same act 
provided, further, that all lands to which the state should 
acquire title within the 3 townships should become a part of 
the reserve. Lands subsequently added increased the area of 
the reserve in these districts to 42,000 acres. 

The supervision of the state reserve feU largely into the 
liands of the Commission's Forest Warden, Prof. Filibert 
Roth, of the University of Michigan. 

In 1909 the Legislature created what is known as the Pab- 
lic Domatu Commission and transferred all authority vested in 
the Forestry Commission to this body. According to the cre- 
ating act, "Said Commission shall have power and jurisdiction 
over and have the management, control and disposition accord- 
ing to law of the public lands, forest reserve and forest inter- 
ests, of all the interests of the state in connection with stream 
protection and control, forest fires protection and all matters 
within the jurisdiction, custody and control of the Mchigan 
Forestry Commission and all the authority and discretion 
vested in them by law are hereby transferred to and vested in 
the Public Domain Commission." 

Since the organization of the Public Domain Commission 
the state has withdrawn for forestry purposes 210.000 acres 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



339 



additional. This, with the Agricultural College reserve, makes 
a total of atout 312,000 acres of state lands reserved for forestry 
purposes in Michigan. 

The wanton destruction of much of the vast White Pine 
forest of Michigan should be taken as a warning by those states 
which themselves have not suffered a similar loss. Prof. Roth 
in the ''Forest Reserve Manual/' asserts that "Michigan cut in 
one year over 3,600 million feet of White Pine alone, ' ' and adds, 
**The forests of this state supplied the people of our country 
clear to Texas with this choice material and at the same time 
called into existence the great wood working industries which 
have built up our towns and our railways. ' ' A little further on 
he says, ''Today the State of Michigan imports lumber; the 
lumberyard of nearly every town in the state carries Yellow 
Pine and Cypress from the South and shingles and other ma- 
terials from the Pacific coast. ****** And all this great 
waste of money for high priced lumber without any good cause, 
for Michigan has lands in plenty where a good forest growth 
would supply its people with all it needs and more beside, if 
only fire and vandal were restricted and thus nature assisted 
instead of opposed by man.*' 

On the other hand, the energy with which many of the 
leading men of Michigan have undertaken the work of reclama- 
tion of their denuded forest lands, and the helpful attitude 
assumed by the common citizens of the state, have brought 
about a condition that may well be held up as an example for 
other states to follow. Under the direction of the competent 
members of the Public Domain Commission and the skillful 
work of the no less competent executives, an excellent system of 
forestry has been developed and put in operation. 

NEW HAMPSHIRE. 

Previous to May, 1909, the principal forestry work in New 
Hampshire was conducted by the state and the Government 
Forest Service in co-operation. The published results of the 
co-operative study began mth a report on forest conditions in 
the White Mountains in 1903. This was followed in 1905 by a 



340 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



report on forest conditions in southern New Hampshire and in 
1907 by a report on forest taxation. 

At the date first mentioned above a new law went inta 
effect which provides for a Forestry Commission, a State For- 
ester, and a complete fire warden service. 

The Forestry Commission is composed of 3 members who 
serve for 3 years each without compensation. Their chief pre- 
scribed duty is the appointment of a state forester who shall 
serve at the will of the commission at a salary to be fixed by 
them under a given limit. 

The forester's work is outlined under the following heads: 

1 — Educational lectures on forestry delivered at farmers' 

institutes and similar meetings in the state. 

2 — Execution of all matters pertaining to forestry within 

the jurisdiction of the state. 

3 — Serving without additional compensation as State For- 

est Fire warden. (In this capacity the Forester has 
the power of appointment and removal of fire war- 
dens and the execution of all laws to prevent and 
extinguish forest fires.) 

4 — Co-operation with counties, towns, corporations and in- 

dividuals in the preparation of plans for the man- 
agement of woodland. 

5 — Preparation of a biennial report to the Governor. 

The state has a number of forestry laws that have been 
tried and found successful. Some of these are mentioned be- 
low : 

Portable steam mills must be provided with suitable spark 
arresters. 

Railroads are made responsible for all damages to property 
caused by fire from any locomotive or engine on their roads. 

Shade tree wardens are appointed by mayors and select- 
men to care for ornamental and shade trees growing in parks 
and along public highways. 

Owners of forest tree plantations having not less than 
twelve hundred trees to the acre are entitled to a rebate of 
ninety, eighty and fifty per cent of their assessed value for the 
first, second and third periods of ten years respectively. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



341 



The state owns about 600 acres of woodland used for parks 
and 1,000 acres of forest land is owned by state institutions. 
There has been no planting of forest trees except by individ- 
uals. Many small areas of waste land have been planted by 
land ovmers and private planting is increasing rapidly through- 
out the state. The state owns no forest tree nursery at present 
but an appropriation for this purpose will be made in the near 
future. The Forest Commission and State Forester have 
started a private nursery on a small scale. Two commercial 
forest nurseries are being operated in the state. 

In answer to an inquiry concerning forest fires in New 
Hampshire Mr. E. C. Hirst, State Forester, replied in part as 
follows : 

''Our law providing for local fire wardens is working 
admirably in most towns. In the mountain towns we generally 
appoint an employe of some lumber company. 

*'I am sending you an account of a meeting we had with 
the lumbermen in New Hampshire. At this meeting they sub- 
scribed $4,000 to be used in establishing lookout stations* for 
the control of forest fires." 

NEW JERSEY. 

The state of New Jersey has 2,000,000 acres, or 46 per cent, 
of its whole area in woodland. This comprises a large body of 
pine land of approximately 1,500,000 acres in the southern part 
of the state, smaller bodies of rough mountain land covered 
chiefly with hardwoods in the northwestern part, and scattered 
woodlands between. 

As a result of forest fires and reckless exploitation by lum- 
bermen the forest growth is inferior but has been slowly im- 
proving since about 1890 when it was in its lowest condition. 

At various times between 1794 and 1902 laws were passed 
looking to the prevention of forest fires, but owing to the 
defects common to most laws of that character nothing practi- 
cal came of them. 

For the last 20 years the State Geological Survey has 



*See discussion of forestry in Maine, page 334. 



342 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



gathered and published a mass of information relative to the 
forests, and has urged in every practicable way a more conserv- 
ative use of them. But in the face of all efforts to conserve 
there was an appalling annual loss occasioned by forest fires. 

In 1905 Governor Stokes in his inaugural address called 
attention to the situation and was instrumental in securing the 
passage of an act by which the Forest Commission was created. 
In the following year a new law dealing with forest fires was 
enacted. With the establishment of the Forest Commission 
began an era of active work in forestry. This work has been 
and is still chiefly directed toward the suppression of forest 
fires, for, it is believed by those who have the matter in charge, 
that forest management, tree planting, or sylviculture, of any 
form will find little justification, or hope of adoption, so long 
as the forest fires are uncontrolled. 

In 1907 a State Forester was engaged. His work comes 
chiefly under the following heads: 

1 — Execution and development of forest fire laws. 

2 — Administration of State Forest Reserves and the care 

of an arboreum at New Bruns\Yick. 

3 — Experimental planting. 

4 — Lectures before improvement societies, shade tree com- 

missions and other civic bodies. 

5 — Advice to private o^^oiers, through correspcndence and 

in the fi.eld, as to the management of woodlots, 
methods of planting, combatting diseases of trees, 
etc. 

Neiv Jersey has acquired ahout 14,000 acres of land for 
State Reserves which are heing administered as demonstration 
areas, or object lessons in forestry. 

About 200 fire wardens are in regular service, all appointed 
by the governing bodies of the townships or other municipali- 
ties, and all paid salaries in addition to liberal compensation 
for services in fighting fires. Mr. Alfred Gaskill, Forester and 
Secretary of the New Jersey Forest Park Reservation Commis- 
sion, states in a recent communication: '^We are well satisfied 
that the policy of paying a small salary, or retainer, to each 
fire warden though it be but $20 or $10 a year is a good one, 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



343 



since after 2 years' experience we find the men more interested 
in the ivork, and much more capahle of control.'^ 

It will be observed from the foregoing that most of the for- 
estry laws, so far enacted, are in reference to the control of 
forest fires. Some of these are mentioned in the ''Fifth Annual 
Report of t he Forest Park Reservation Commission of New 
Jersey" (1909) as follows: 

"The minimum rate of pay for fighting fire is found to 
be a good feature of the law. Helpers when fighting fire are 
allowed $1 for five hours, or less, and twenty-five cents per hour 
thereafter. A man who gets as much for half an hour's work 
as for five hours will be apt to hurry and try hard to put out a 
fire before it becomes serious. 

"A permit must be obtained before any fire can legally be 
made within 200 feet of a forest at any time of year. It has 
been necessary to limit these permits to seven days but fire 
wardens are authorized to issue renewals, to send them by mail, 
and in every way to hamper trustworthy citizens as little as 
possible. If a man is known to be careless a permit may be 
withheld until the warden thinks it safe for him to bum, or it 
may be denied altogether." 

The last effort of the Forest Commission has been directed 
toward the control of railroad fires through the construction of 
wide fire lines along every railroad which traverses woodland. 
The railroad fire lines are described thus: "TVliat are regarded 
as the essential features are the bared strip, ordinarily ten feet 
wide, and the thinning, not total removal, of the fortst between 
the bared strip and the roadbed. The bared strip located 100 
feet from the nearest rail is intended to be an automatic fire 
check. From its whole length and width every bit of vegetation 
and inflammable matter is to be removed and the mineral soil 
exposed and so maintained. Between this strip and the road- 
bed the ground is simply cleared of grass, brush, &e.. by mow- 
ing or burning, or both, and the trees, where they form thickets, 
thinned out. The intention is to leave all trees that are three 
inches in diameter and not less than six feet apart. 

**A fire line like this is supposed to work thus: If sparks 
,are tlrqown from a locomotive stack, the foliage of the trees 



344 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



may so retard its fall that its fire is lost. If a spark is not so 
killed, and reaches the ground alive, it is almost sure to fall 
inside the bared strip. There it finds little to burn, but if some 
grass or dried leaves are ignited the fire can gain little force or 
headway before it reaches the bared strip. Under ideal condi- 
tions, even with considerable wind, a small fire would rarely 
cross the ten feet of bare ground, but must go out for want of 
fuel. In practice some fires will find opportunity to cross, yet 
with reasonable vigilance on the part of the section men and 
fire wardens the number that escape need be few. 

* ' The whole work of constructing fire lines is to be done by 
the railroads, and at their expense, within the next five years. 
But though only one-fifth of the total is cut each year, all that 
may have been cleared must be recut or reburned at least once 
each year to maintain its effectiveness." 

NEW YORK. 

1883 — An act of Legislature prohibiting further sale of 
land owned by the state in ten Adirondack counties. 
Appointment by State Comptroller of a committee 
to investigate conditions in Adirondack state hmds. 

1885 — Report of the investigating committee recommend- 
ing the establishment of a Forest Commission. Ap- 
pointment of a Forest Commission by the Governor. 

1886- 1889~Organization by the Forest Commission of a 

fire protecting force. Determining boundaries of 
parcels of land aggregating 715,267 acres. Enforce- 
ment of the law against trespassers. 

1890 — Appropriation of $25,000 for the purchase of 
16,320 additional acres in the Adirondack Mount- 
tains. 

1891 — ^Promotion of Col. Wm. F. Fox to the position of 
Superintendent of Forests. 

1892 — Establishment of the Adirondack Park by Act of 
Legislature. Inauguration of a plan for producing 
revenue from forest preserves by leasing camp sites. 

1893 — Reorganization of Forest Commission. Publication 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



345 



of ''Land Grrants and Land Patents of Northern 
New York" by Col. Wm. F. Fox. Passage of a law 
permitting the sale of spruce and tamarack over 
twelve inches in diameter in any part of forest 
preserves. 

1894 — A Constitutional provision in the new Constitution 
prohibiting the cutting and removal of any trees on 
state land. 

1895 — Consolidation of Forest Commission and The Fish 
and Game Commission under the name of "Fish- 
eries, Game and Forest Commission." Legislative 
act making it a misdemeanor to set fires to clean 
land during certain dangerous periods. 

1897 — Organization of a Forest Preserve Board and pur- 
chase of two million dollars worth of land for an 
Adirondack Park. 

1901 — Consolidation of Fisheries, Game and Forest Com- 
mission and Forest Preserves Board under name of 
Forest, Fish and Game Commission, — the present 
organization. Improvement of forest fire law by 
creating the office of Chief Firewarden. 

The above brief outline, omits much that was important in 
the institution and carrjdng on of the several lines of forestry 
work from 1883 to the beginning of the present century, and 
purports to indicate in a general way, only, the policy pursued 
during this period. It will serve to show, however, the fore- 
• sight and good business judgment of the promoters of forestry 
in New York which have proven of inestimable value to every 
citizen of the Commonwealth in securing the acquisition of 
large forest preserves and in establishing a practical and exten- 
sive system of forestry. 

A good beginning at an early date prepared the state for 
the promptest action at the time of the recent awakening. All 
the lines of wo^rk carried forward during the last decade can- 
not be discussed here. The work of the Forestry Department is 
included, principally, under the following heads: 



346 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



1 — Administration and protection of 1,588,874 acres of 

state forest reserves situated in 12 Adirondack and 
4 Catskill counties. 

2 — The protection from fire of all land in the Adirondacks 

and Catskills mthout regard to ownership. 

3 — Gathering and tabulating statistics from a large num- 

ber of saw mills. 

4 — Reforestation of state lands. 

5 — Management of forest tree nurseries. 

6 — Experiment work in cooperation with Government For- 

est Service. 

An area of about 6,000 acres has been planted ivith forest 
trees including such species as "White Pine, Scotch Pine, Nor- 
way Spruce, Bull Pine and Eureopean Larch. 

Five nurseries having a combined area of about 31 acres 
supply large numbers of trees for state land and cooperative' 
forest plantations. These, however, are inadequate to meet the 
demands. Hon. James S. Whipple, Forest^ Fish and Game 
Commissioner, declares, "We are not growing one twenty-fifth 
as many trees as we ought." He recommends that at least 
$100,000 be spent each year in this particular work and that 
at least 30 million trees should be furnished annually to the peo- 
ple of the state at a price lower than cost. 

During the last session of the New York Legislature im- 
portant changes were made in the laws relating to the state's 
forest possessions. The particular features of the amended law 
of most importance are summarized in commissioner Whipple's 
Fifteenth Annual Report as follows : 

''First — Those which provide for the cutting off of limbs 
■from the tops of coniferous trees when felled, that 
they and the tops may lie flat down on the ground^ 
gather and retain moisture and soon rot. 

Second — For a paid fire patrol. 

Third — For the construction of observation stations on 
mountain tops, and telephone lines through the for- 
est connecting up the stations. 



WEST VIEGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



347 



Fourth — That the state pay, in the first instance, all of the 

expenses of fire fighting, half to be rebated by the 

towns where fires occur. 
Fifth — ^Providing that railroad companies pay the whole 

expense of patroling their rights of way. 
Sixth — That daily, weekly and monthly reports be made to 

the department of fires on matters relative thereto. 
Seventh — Making town supervisors part of the fire fighting 

force. ' ' 



NORTH CAROLINA. 

A study of the material resources of North Carolina was 
taken up as early as 1823 ; and the subject of Forestry has been 
before the citizens of that state for 40 years. 

The following brief abstract of a sketch prepared for this 
report in March, 1910, by Llr. J. S. Holmes, Forester for Xorth 
Carolina Geological and Economic Survey, will show the prog- 
ress of work to the last date given above : 

1823 — An Act of the Assembly authorizing the Board of 
Agriculture to pay expenses of "geological excur- 
cursions" for a period of years. Work in charge of 
Prof. Denison Olmsted. 
1825 — Removal of Prof. Olmsted to Yale and appointment 

of Dr. Elisha Mitcliel to succeed him. 
1852 — ^Appointment of Dr. E. Emmons as State Geologist. 
1860 — Publication by the Natural History Survey of North 
Carolina of a report on the ''Woody Plants of North 
Carolina" prepared by Dr. M. A. Curtis. 

1866 — Appointment of Dr. W. C. Kerr as State Geologist. 

1867 — Publication of the ''Indigenous and Naturalized 
Plants of North Carolina" by Dr. M. A. Curtis. 

1870 — Dr. Kerr's first general report to the Legislature. 

In this report he says, "The time has come to begin 
the work of repairing the mischief and waste of our 
predecessors and our own by planting our old fields 
with seeds of future forests and fortunes." 



348 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



1891 — Establishment of tlie North Carolina Geological Sur- 
vey and appointment of Prof. Joseph A. Holmes as 
State Geologist. 

The expressed object of the Survey was ''the 
thorough examination of the nature and extent of 
the mineral and timber resources of the State." 

1892 — Publication of Prof. Holmes's first Biennial Report. 
In this report he says: "It will be the policy of 
the survey to publish from time to time in the future 
special bulletins on the management and preserva- 
tion of the forests of the state, in order that the peo- 
ple who own these forests may be able while dispos- 
ing of their supplies of timber now available to do 
so under such conditions as will best protect the 
young trees and shrubs from injury by the lumber- 
men and from the still more common and destructive 
injuries from the forest fires and stock; and thus 
perpetuate the forest wealth of the State." 

1892 — Appointment of W. W. Ashe as Assistant, in 
charge of timber investigations. 

1894— Publication of Bulletin 5, entitled "The Fo^rest^, 
Forest Lands and Forest Products of Eastern North 
Carolina" by W. W. Ashe. 

1895— Publication of Bulletin 7, "Forest Fires, their De- 
structive Work, Causes and Prevention" by W. W. 
Ashe. 

1897— 'Publication of Bulletin 6, including "The Timber 
Trees of North Carolina" by Gifford Pinchot, then 
Forester for the Biltmore Estate, and "The Forests 
of North Carolina" by W. W. Ashe. 

1897— Publication of the first Economic Paper, "The Pos- 
sibility of a Maple Sugar Industry in North Caro- 
lina" by W. W. Ashe. 

1898 — Co-operative study begun of the sylvicultural charac- 
ters and growth of loblolly pine in North Carolina, 
by the Forestry Division of the United States De- 
partment of Agriculture and the State of North Car- 
olina. 




WATERFALL ALONG THE WESTERN MARYLAND RAILROAD NEAR DOUGL\S 

TUCKER COUNTY. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



349 



1898 — Organization of the North Carolina Forestry Asso- 
ciation. 

1900 — A study begun in cooperation with the Bureau of 
Forestry and the United States Geological Survey 
looking to the possible establishment of a national 
park, or forest reserve, in that region. 

1905 — Publication by the United States G-eological Survey 
of Professional Paper No. 37, "The Southern Ap- 
palachian Forests." This report, in part, was based 
on cooperative investigations made in North Caro- 
lina. 

1905 — Publication of the biennial report of the State Geo- 
logist which embodied the result of several year's 
cooperative study of the comparative value of the 
swamp lands of the eastern part of the state for for- 
ests and for agriculture. 

1905 — Creation by the State Legislature of the North Car- 
olina Geological and Economic Survey and appoint- 
ment of Dr. Joseph Hyde Pratt as State Geologist. 
The objects of the Survey, as stated in the Act creat- 
ing" it, include, ' ' examination of the mineral, forest, 
fish and other natural resources of the state." The 
paragraph relating to the forests states that *'an ex- 
amination and classification of the soils, the forests, 
and other physical features of the state shall be made, 
with special bearing upon the occupation of the peo- 
ple." 

1907 — An agreement made between the State Board of Edu- 
cation and the Survey whereby the Forestry Division 
was to investigate the boundaries and general condi- 
tion of swamp lands belonging to the Board. 

1908— A report by Mr. J. F. Bond of the United States For- 
est Service, on the suitability for reforestation of the 
North Carolina Banks, included in the State Geolog- 
ist's biennial report. 

1908 — ^Appointment of W. W. Ashe as Forester of the 
North Carolina Geological and Economic Survey. 
Educational work, which was begun many years 



350 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



before by the State Geological Survey, was taken up 
vigorously in 1908 by the Forester. Iti consisted 
chiefly in lecturing and writing of press bulletins. 
' 1909 — Kesignation of Mr. Ashe and appointment in his place 
of J. S. Holmes as Forester. 
A report of an examination into the present forest condi- 
tions of western North Carolina made by the State Forester in 
cooperation with the United States Forest Service is in prepara- 
tion. 

A study of forest fires in the state for the year 1909 was 
made in cooperation with the United States Forest Service. A 
report is now in preparation. 

The State cooperated with the office of Wood Utilization of 
the United States Forest Service in making a study of the wood- 
using industries of North Carolina. 

Under the energetic administration of Dr. Pratt there have 
been established 3 divisions under the direct supervision of the 
State Geologist, viz: the Highway Division, in charge of W. L. 
Spoon, Highway Engineer; the Fisheries Division, under Theo- 
dore S. Meekins, Fish Commissioner ; and the Forestry Division, 
now in charge of J. S. Holmes, Forester. 

It is planned to continue a careful study of forest condi- 
tions of the state until all the counties are covered. At the rate 
the work progressed in 1909 it is estimated that this will require 
about 4 more seasons' work. The Survey will then be in pos- 
session of information that will enable it to recommend a definite 
and advanced forest policy for the State. 

It is planned, further, to conduct a vigorous campaign of 
education, both through the press and by lectures at Farmers' 
Institutes and other public meetings. 

The next Legislature will be asked to enact improved and 
progressive forest laws. 

OHIO. 

Ohio is essentially an agricultural state. It has but a small 
percentage of non-agricultural land. A few thousand acres of 
rough land on the south and east are held by coal companies. 
The remainder of the state is divided into small farms averaging 
less than 100 acres each. A large proportion of this farm land 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



351 



lias been cleared for cultivation but, as a rule, eacb farmer has 
preserved a small boundary of woodland. 

The branch of forestry work, therefore, which has received 
most attention in Ohio is the improvement of the farmers' wood- 
lots. The 2 forestry publications, issued from the Ohio Agri- 
cultural Experiment Station before the establishment of a de- 
partment of forestry in that institution, explain methods of 
growing profitably for farm use such species of trees as catalpas, 
osage orange, mulberry and yellow locust. In 1906 this import- 
ant work for the farmer was taken up vigorously by the first 
forester of the Experiment Station, and has been made a promi- 
nent feature in all forestry work. Several hundred farmers are 
cooperating with the Forestry Department of the Station in the 
management of their woodlots, and the number interested in this 
is increasing each year. 

Cooperation in forestry work with public institations, also, 
is being successfully carried on. According to the third annual 
report of the forester 4 state, 1 county, 1 municipal, 2 educa- 
tional and 2 charitable institutions are cooperating with the 
state. Nurseries have been established at 3 of the institutions 
• where about 300,000 tree seedlings have been grown for planting 
purposgs. Other institutions throughout the state have ex- 
pressed a desire to establish forest plantations for parks and to 
be used in the protection of water supplies. 

Other lines of work being pursued are a study of natural 
forest conditions by counties; experiments to obtain data rela- 
tive to rate of tree growth and the conditions favoring the 
growth of various species; a study of problems peculiar to the 
rough hill lands ; experiments with certain trees in the construc- 
tion of windbreaks; a study of methods of prevention and con- 
trol of forest fires. 

The outline below, prepared for this report by Mr. Edmund 
Secrest, Forester of the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station, 
shows the beginning of interest in forestry and its progress in 
Ohio through a period of more than 50 years. 

**1853 — Publications on Forestry, through the Western 
Horticultural Review, by Dr. John A. Warder of 
Cincinnati, Ohio. 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



1873 — Appointment of Dr. "Warder as commissioner to Vi- 
enna to report npon the products of the forests as 
shoT^Ti at the International Exposition. 
1883 — Organization of the Ohio Forestry Association. 

Efforts of the State Forestry Association to secure 
Forestry Experiment Stations. 

Efforts to secure legislation authorizing the ap- 
pointment of a state forester. 
1885 — An Act of the Assembly establishing a State Forestry 
Bureau consisting of three members. 

Prof. Adolph Lewe elected secretary of the Fores- 
try Bureau with authority to make forestry investi- 
gations. 

First annual report of the Forestry Bureau by 
Prof. Lewe. 

1903 — Organization of the Ohio Forestry Society. 

1904— Publication of Bulletin 149 of the Ohio Agricultural 
Experiment Station on the "Hardy Catalpa as a 
Farm Crop", by W. J. Green. 

1905 — ^Publication of Bulletin 158 by Ohio Agricultural 
Experiment Station on "Forestry Investigations" 
conducted by J. W. Green and C. W. Waid. 

1906 — ^Repeal of the act establishing the State Forestry 
Bureau. An Act to establish at the Ohio Agricult- 
ural Experiment Station a forestry department. 
Appointment of W. J. Green as Forester and Ed- 
mund Secrest as Assistant Forester of the Experi- 
ment Station. 

1907 — Publication of the first annual report of the forester 
of the Experiment Station by W. J. Green. 

1908 — Publication of the second annual report of the for- 
ester of the Experiment Station by W, J. Green. 
Publication of Bulletin 189, of the Experiment Sta- 
tion, "Forestry Suggestions" by W, J. Green and 
Edmund Secrest . 

Publication of Bulletin 190, of the Experiment Sta- 
tion, "Evergreens, their Culture and Uses", W. J. 
Green and W. E. Bontrager. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



353 



1909— Publication of Bulletin 204, of the Experiment Sta- 
tion on "Forest Conditions in OMo" by W. J. Green 
and Edmund Seer est. 

Third annual report of the forester of the Experi- 
ment Station by W. J. Green and Edmund Secrest. 

1910 — Appointment of Edmund Secrest as Forester of the 
Experiment Station. 

Publication of a report on the "Durability of Post 
Timbers/' Bulletin of the Experiment Station, by 
W. J. Green and J. J. Crumley." 

PENNSYLVANIA. 

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the owner at present 
of 920,000 acres of land for forest reserves. The management 
and protection of this large forest area is the principal work of 
40 scientifically trained foresters and over 100 rangers. 

Robert S. Conklin, Commissioner of Forestry and President 
of the State Forestry Reservation Commission, who prepared for 
this report the chronological statement of the status of forestry 
in Pennsylvania as given below, states that "the work of protect- 
ing and developing the forests in the state is going forward with 
great rapidity. 

Forestry in Pennsylvania. 

1681— Sec. XVIII William Penn's Charter of Rights: "In 
clearing the ground care shall be taken to leave one 
acre of trees for every five acres cleared; especially 
to preserve the Oak and Mulberries for silk and 
shipping. ' ' 

1700 — Act against felling trees on another man's land with- 
out permission. 

1735 — Act to prevent damages from firing woods. 

1785 — Publication of "Arbustrum Americanum" by Hum- 
phry Marshall. 

1794 — Second act against firing woods. Others followed in 
1860, '69, '70, '79, etc. Act against cutting timber 
trees or firing woods. 

23 



354 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



1851 — Act incorporating the Pennsylvania Agricultural So- 
ciety. ' 

1855— Death of Andre Michaux, leaving a legacy of $12,000 
to American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia 
for Forestry instruction. 

1863 — Publication of "The Earth as Influenced by Human 
Action" by Geo. P. Marsh. 

1870 — ^Llichaux legacy became available. Dr. J. T. Roth- 
rock, Dean of the Botanical Department of the Uni- 
versity of Pennsylvania, appointed Mchaux lecturer 
on "Forestry." 

Act making it the duty of the county commissioners 
to appoint persons under oath to bring to justice , 
persons who set fire to forests. 
Collection of forest data for the ninth census. 

1873-1874 — ^Attention of the Legislature called to the fores- 
try question in the annual message of Gov. Hart- 
ranft. 

1876 — Act establishing the state board of agriculture, **To 
investigate subjects relating to improvements in the 
Agriculture in the State." 

Forest exhibit at Centennial Exposition at Philadel- 
phia. 

1877 — Organization of the State Board of Agriculture. May 
meeting devoted largely to forestry questions. Pa- 
pers published in report of State Board of Agricult- 
ure for 1877. 

Secretary of State Board of Agriculture asks for bet- 
ter fire laws, refers to rebate laws of other states, 
calls attention to the great cost of wood fences and 
unnecessary waste connected with them. 

1878 — Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society resolves to 
bring to attention of Legislature a law rebating the 
road tax for planting trees along highways. (N. Y. 
act of 1867 referred to.) 

1879 — Act to encourage planting trees along roadsides. 
Act authorizing the county commissioners to pay $50 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



355 



to prosecutor in successful suit against an individual 
for setting fire to the woods. 

Forestry meeting in main Centennial building in 
Philadelphia. 

Address by Dr. George May Powell, Chairman of 
American Forest Committee and Secretary of Inter- 
national Forest Council. 

Secretary of Board of Agriculture recommends ex- 
emption of taxes *'on lands planted with 'certain 
kinds of forest trees, for a certain time after plant- 
ing, and at the expiration of this time the lands be 
not increased in valuation for taxable purposes by 
reason of trees thus planted." 

He also suggests the appointment of a commission 
to investigate forestry matters and report such legis- 
lation as may be needed. 

1880 — Data for tenth census. First real awakening to the 
forest resources of the state. 

1883 — Act directing assessors to return all timber land. 

1886 — Organization of Pennsylvania Forestry Association. 

1887 — ^Rebate of taxes on plantations of forest trees for 30 
years (1897). 

Appointment by Governor of Commission to investi- 
gate the forest conditions in the state. First observ- 
ance of Arbor Day. 

1891 — ^Act providing for the payment of damages for in- 
juries done to trees along public highways by tele- 
phone, telegraph, and electric light companies. 

1893 — Appointment of commission to examine into and re- 
port upon forestry conditions in the state. 

1895 — Division of Forestry created in new Department of 
Agriculture and Dr. J. T. Rothrock appointed com- 
missioner of Forestry. 

Report of Committee published as Vol. 2 of report of 
Secretary of Agriculture in 1895. 
1897 — ^Act making constables ex-officio fire wardens. 

Act empowering constables to make arrests without 
warrant upon sight, in case of violation of forest 
laws. 



356 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



Act authorizing purchase of unseated lands at tax 
sale for the purpose of creating a state forest reser- 
vation. 

Act to provide reservation of 40,000 acres at head- 
waters of each of three main rivers of the State. 
1898 — Report of Commissioner of Forestry for 1S97 as Vol. 
2 of the Report of Secretary of Agriculture for 1897. 

1901 — Establishment of Department of Forestry and Forest 
Reserve Commission. Appointment of a State For- 
ester. 

1902 — Establishment of a forest nursery and planting of 
first trees by Department. 

1903 — Establishment of State Forest Academy at Mont 
Alto. 

Appointment of a Deputy Commissioner of Forestry. 
Report of Department of Forestry for 1901-2. 

1905 — Act making fixed charge on lands to compensate for 
loss of taxes. 

Conferring on municipalities right to use water from 
State forests. 

Report of Department of Forestry for 1903-4. 

1906 — Report of Department of Forestry for 1905-6. 
First class of foresters graduated from the Forest 
Academy. 

1907— General Shade Tree Act. 

1908 — Report of Department of Forestry for 1907. 
First convention of Pennsylvania Foresters. 

1909 — Act to protect trees growing by the roadside. 

Act authorizing the Department of Forestry to grow 

and sell forest tree seedlings at cost. 

Act establishing municipal forests. (First law of the 

kind in the United States.) 

State Inspection and report on chestnut blight. 

New forest fire warden law. 

VERMONT. 

The outline given below, prepared by Mr. Austin F. Hawes, 
State Forester of Vermont, mentions some of the steps which 
led to the creation of the Board of Agriculture and Forestry. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



357 



It is stated also in the introduction to "Forest Fires in Ver- 
mont, published in December, 1909, that "The establishment 
of the Vermont Forest Service by the Legislature of 1908 was 
no doubt partially due to the serious forest fires of that fall ; as 
the forest fire law itself had followed the disastrous fire of the 
spring of 1903.'* 

Progress of Forestry in Vermont. 

"Establishment of a Forestry Association in Ver- 
mont. 

Creation of office of Forestry Commissioner. 

1905 — Establishment of State Nursery and annual appro- 
priation of $500 per annum for same. 

1906— Publication of Bulletin No. 2, "An Address by Dr. 
B. E. Femow." 

Publication of Bulletin No. 120, "Planting White 
Pine in Vermont" by Prof. L. R, Jones. 

1907— Publication of Bulletin No. 127, "State Nursery for 
Forest Seedlings" by Prof. L. R. Jones. 
Publication of Bulletin No. 3, "An Address by Prof. 
J. W. Tourney of Yale Forestry School. 

1908 — An act abolishing the Board of Agriculture and 
creating a Board of Agriculture and Forestry. 

1909 — Appointment of Austin F. Hawes as State Forester. 
Field study of forest fires and publication of ' ' Forest 
Fires of Vermont." 

Purchase of "L. R. Jones slate forest," Plainfield, 
Vermont. 

Acquirement of Downer State Forest, Sharon, Ver- 
mont, by gift of Mr. Charles Downer. 
Publication of Vermont Forestry Cards Nos. 1-6. 

Bulletin No. 139 of the Vermont Agricultural Experiment 
Station outlines some of the more important duties of the State 
Forester as follows: 

"Inasmuch as the first step toward the practice of forestry 
must be the reduction of forest fires to a mininmm, the most im- 
portant duty of the state forester is to increase the efficiency of 



358 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



the warden service and inaugurate any other measures necessary 
for the doing away with these fires. A study of the fires; which 
occur in the state will be necessary before recommendations 
along these lines can be made. 

' ' The next in importance to the prevention of forest fires, is 
the education of land owners so that they may carry out 
forestry principles on their own land. As already pointed out, 
the example furnished by the state forests will be the most ef- 
fective means of bringing this about. 

"Investigations and experiments will be made by tliis office 
to obtain accurate informafion about the various forestry prob- 
lems of the state, and the results will be published from time to 
time. In the meantime the state forester will be glad to meet 
granges and other organizations and to explain ike purposes and 
results of forestry methods. ■ He is prepared to give illustrated 
lectures when desired. ***** ^ * Correspondence 
is especially invited on all forestry topics. 

The state al- 
ready has a well established nursery. This will be enlarged at 
once, with the hope of supplying in a few years a large amount 
of material. In the meantime the aim of the office will be rather 
to furnish small orders to a large number, so that every land 
owner may become interested by the time a large supply is 
available. ' ' 

WASHINGTON. 

Encouraged by the results obtained through scientific man- 
agement of the National forests on the Pacific slope, and awak- 
ened to the need for protection through the depletion of their 
own forests by lumbermen and by fires, several of the states in 
the ''far west" have established departments of forestry and 
have become leaders in forest conservation. Among the fore- 
most of these is the state of Washington, with a State Board of 
Forest Commissioners, a State Fire Warden and Forester, and 
an army of deputy fire wardens, scattered throughout the state 

The forestry laws enacted in 1905 outline the duties of the 
Board of Forest Commissioners as follows : ' ' The state board of 
forest commissioners shall supervise all matters of state forest 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 359 

protection as provided for in this act ; it shall have full power to 
appoint a state fire warden and forester, deputy fire wardens 
and forest rangers; to make such rules and regulations for the 
prevention, control and suppression of forest fires as is deemed 
necessary; to regulate and control the official acts of the state 
fire warden and forester, deputy fire wardens and forest rangers, 
and to have power to remove at will any of these officials; it 
shall be the duty of said board to collect information regarding 
the timberlands owned by the state, through investigation made 
by the state fire warden and forester, deputy fire wardens and 
forest rangers, regarding the conditions of the timber lands be- 
longing to the state, reporting any damage caused by forest fires 
and any illegal cutting or trespass upon the state timber and re- 
port promptly such information to the state land commissioner. ' ' 
The chief work of the State Fire Warden and Forester is 
summarized under the following heads: 

1 — Clerical work as Secretary of State Board of Forest 

Commissioners. 

2 — Supervision of forest fire service, including, — 

(a) — Massing and direct charge of fire fighting force 
in times of special danger. 

(b) — Investigation of origin of forest fires. 

(c) — Prosecution of violators of forest fire laws. 

(d) — Preparation of abstract of forest fire law for 
public distribution. 

(e) — Notification of county clerks of the appoint- 
ment and names of deputy fire wardens. 

(f) — Furnishing notices printed on cloth for post- 
ing calling attention to dangers from forest fires. 

(g) — Preparation of printed foirms for deputies. 

(h) — Inspection and auditing of bills of salary and 
expenses of deputy fire wardens. 

• 3 — Enforcement of all laws for the preservation of the 
forests of the state. 

4 — ^Preparation of maps of each of the counties containing 

timber tracts showing state lands therein. 

5 — Study of the kinds, acreage and value of timbers. 



360 



FORESTRY IX THE STATES. 



6 — Estimation of the yearly cut of timlier in the state. 

7 — Annual report to Board of Forest Commissioners. 

In a letter dated June 30. 1910, Mr. J. R. Welty. State Fire 
"Warden and Forester of Washington, among other things says : 

""VTe have a State Board of Forestry Commissioners, com- 
posed of the State Land Commissioner, ex-officio member, also 
four electors of the State appointed by the Governor. 

"Our forestiy work consists prin-jipally in protecting the 
forests -from fires. Our department has not gone into the refor- 
estation of lands as yet: but I am taking up thi=. subject vith 
the State Board of Forest Commissioners vith that oljject in 
view. 

"There is organized in the state, the "Washington Forest 
Fire Association, vith offices at Seattle, Washington, and the 
Inland Forest Fire Association, wiih headquarters at Spokane, 
Washington. They are composed of timber oviiers throughout 
the state, and their object is to protect the timber from fires. 

"The Xational Government has a well organized force for 
the protection of the Xational Forests in the State. 

"Our department works harmoniously with these organiza- 
tions, and commissions their patrolmen and rangers, as Forest 
Rangers at large, to serve without pay. It giv^s them power to 
make arrests for violations of the Forest Protection Law. This 
practically gives us one of the largest and best forces for the 
protection of the forests of any of the states." 

WEST VIRGINIA. 

The citizens of the State of West Virginia remained inac- 
tive on the subject of forestry until the forests of the greater 
part of the state had been stripped of their timber and until the 
opportunity to save a remnant of the virgin timberland was all 
but gone. 

The history of the awakening of the people of the State to 
the alarming condition resulting from a depletion of the forests 
and to a lively interest in their protection dates back only about 
4 years. Since that time much has been accomplished. The 
most important steps are taken up in order below: 



WEST vmGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



361 



1906 — Preparation and publication of a pamphlet entitled 
''The Needs of Forest Protection in West Virginia 
and Suggestions for a Forest Law" by Hu Maxwell. 
In this pamphlet Mr. Maxwell called attention to the 
great value of West Virginia forests — for their tim- 
ber and for their influence on erosion and water flow, 
to their destruction by fire and by careless lumbering 
methods, and to the lack of concerted action to pre- 
vent the great waste. A contrast was drawn between 
the lack of interest in West Virginia and the intense? 
interest in such states as California, Pennsylvania 
and New York, all of which had spent already many 
thousands of dollars for the purpose of protecting 
and restoring their forests. The law proposed in 
this pamphlet was submitted as a bill before the 
Legislature of 1907 but failed of passage. 

1908 — Appointment by Gov. Wm. M. 0. Dawson of a Con- 
servation Commission consisting of Hu ^laxwell, 
Chairman, James H. Stewart, Secretary and Neil 
Robinson, a third member. 

The appointment of this commission was one oi the 
direct results of the Conference of Governors of the 
United States which was called for May 13-15, 1908 
by President Roosevelt. 

The major part of the report of this Commission, 
which was prepared and published in the fall of 1908, 
is devoted to a discussion of the forest resources of 
the state and to recommendations regarding the pol- 
icy which should be inaugurated for their protection. 
Statements made in this valuable and timely publi- 
cation are freely quoted in other parts of the present 
report. 

Establishment of a Chair of Forestry as a department of 
the College of Agriculture of the West Virginia Uni- 
versity, and the election of A. W. Nolan as Professor 
of Forestry. 

The courses in forestry have proven to be among the 
most popular offered in the State University in re- 



362 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



cent years ; and the number of young men and women 
who enroll for this work is increasing with every 
term. 

Organization of the West Virginia Forestry Association. 
On January 24, 1908, 45 persons, representing 23 
counties of the state, met in the Y. M. C. A. room 
of the West Virginia University in response to a call 
issued by Pomona Grange No. 2, and elected Prof, 
T. C. Atkeson, Dean of the Agricultural College as 
permanent chairman, and Prof. A. W. Nolan as per- 
manent secretary of the Association. 

Publication of a Report on Forestry issued as a quarterly 
report of the State Board of Agriculture, June 30 
1908. 

1909 — Enactment by the Legislature of a Forest, Game and 
Fish I^w and appointment by the Governor of J. A. 
Viquesney as Forest, Game and Fish Warden. 
The appointment of the chief deputies and a large 
number of deputies has been made and the law has 
been in full operation for over a year. 

Appropriation by the Legislature of $5,000 (Chap. 84, Sec 
51, Acts of 1909) for the preparation and publica- 
tion of the present report on forest conditions in 
West Virginia. 

WISCONSIN. 

The state of Wisconsin has forest reserve lands in 9 counties 
aggregating over 250,000 acres. 

For the purpose of directing the management and protec- 
tion of the vast forests held by the state, and those held by cor- 
porations and by individuals, there has been created in Wiscon- 
sin by legislative enactment a State Board of Forestry, "con- 
sisting of the president of the state university, the director of 
the state geological survey, the dean of the state agricultural de- 
partment, the attorney general, and one other member appointed 
by the governor." 

Among the important prescribed duties of the Board are 
the appointment of a state forester; the acceptance on behalf of 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 363 

the state of ''any grant of land within the state, which shall be- 
come a part of the state reserve"; the examination of ''points of 
interest in the state" as to their desirability as public parks; 
etc. etc. 

The state forester " * * * * shall act as secretary of 
the state board of forestry. He shall, under the supervision of 
the state board of forestry, execute all matters pertaining to 
forestry within the jurisdiction of the state ; direct the manage- 
ment of the state forest reserve; collect data relative to forest 
destruction and conditions ; take such action as is authorized by 
law to prevent and extinguish forest fires and to prevent forest 
trespass; cooperate in forestry as provided under section 5 of 
this act ; advance as he may deem wise, by issuing of publications 
and by lectures, the cause of forestry within the state ; ' ' etc. It 
may be said, without quoting further, that there is practically 
no line of legitimate and helpful forestry work that is not lib- 
erally delegated by law to the state forester and to his helpers. 

The law provides, also, for a well-salaried assistant state 
forester and for a complete forest fire warden and trespass agent 
service. 

The following outline, prepared for this report by Mr. Ed- 
ward M. Griffith, present state forester of "Wisconsin, shows some 
of the steps in the progress of forestry in that state, particularly 
the building up of the state forest reserve during the years from 
1903 to 1909 : 

"1903 — Enactment of first forestry law placing some 40,000 
acres of state lands in the forest reserves. 
State forester to appoint town fire wardens. 

1904— Examination of 40,000 acre tract and also of other 
state lands suitable for forest reserve purposes. 
Organization of fire warden system. 

1905 — Enactment of present forestry law, placing all state 
lands in northern Wisconsin, (some 200,000 acres) 
within the forest reserves. Law provides for sale by 
State Board of Foresty of scattered and agricultural 
lands, proceeds to constitute ' ' Forest Reserve Fund ' ' 
to be used for purchasing forest reserve lands, and 
for their protection and improvement. 
Appointment assistant state forester. 



364 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES: 



1906 — Selection of timber cruisers and work started of ex- 
amining and appraising lands to be sold and pur- 
chased. 

1907 — Enactment of law granting additional appropriation 
of $10,000 per annum for purchase of forest reserve 
lands. 

State Board of Forestry given control of water reser- 
voirs in northern part of state used for power pur- 
poses by private companies. 
Approximately 4,000 acres land purchased. Grant 
of 4,500 acres of land to State Board of Forestry by 
Nebagamon Lumber Company. 

1908 — Work of examining lands to be sold and purchased 
continued. 

U. S. Government grants 20,000 acres of land to 
"Wisconsin for addition to state forest reserves. 

1909 — Work of examining lands to be sold and purchased 
continued. 

Purchase of approximately 22,000 acres of land." 

Classified List of States Showing the Official Bodies Which 
Direct Their Forestry Operations. 



California 


State Board of Forestry 


Delaware 


State Board of Forestry 


Indiana 


State Board of Forestry 


Maryland 


State Board of Forestry 


Massachusetts 


State Board of Forestry 


Oregon 


State Board of Forestry 


Wisconsin 


State Board of Forestry 


New Jersey 


State Board of Forest Park Reservation 




Commissioners 


Washington 


State Board of Forest Commissioners 


Minnesota 


State Forestry Board 


Montana 


State Forestry Board 


Michigan 


State Forestry Commission 


Louisiana 


State Forestry Commission and Commis- 




sion of Natural Resources 


New Hampshire 


Forestry Commission 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



365 



Maine 

Rhode Island 
Pennsylvania 
Ohio 

Connecticut 
Tennessee 
Vermont 
Kentucky 

New York 
Kansas 

North Carolina 
Y\\'Ht Vir ovinia 



Commission of Forestry 
Commission of Forestry 
Department of Forestry 
Department of Forestry in Agricultural 

Experiment Station 
Agricultural Experiment Station 
Department of Game, Fish and Forestry 
State Board of Agriculture and Forestry 
State Board of Agriculture, Forestry and 

Immigration 
Forest, Fish and Game Commission 
Division of Forestry, State Agricultural 

College 

State Geological and Economic Survey 
Forest, Game and Fish Warden reports to 
Governor. 



List o£ State Forest Officers. 



Alabama, 


John H. Wallace Jr., 


Commissioner, Dept. of 




Montgomery, 


Game and Fish. 


California, 


G. B. Lull, 


State Forester. 




Sacramento, 




Connecticut, 


S. N. Spring, 


Forester, Agr. Experi- 




New Haven, 


ment Sta. 


Delaware, 


Prof. H. Hayv\ ard. 


Director Agr. Expeil- 




Newark, 


ment Sta. 


Georgia, 


Alfred Akerman, 


Sec'y- State Forest As- 




Athens 


sociation. 


Hawaii, 


R. S. Hosmer, 


Supt. of Forestry. 




Honolulu, 




Indiana, 


C. C. Deam, 


Sec'y- State Board of 




Indianapolis, 


Forestry. 


Kansas, 


C. A. Scott, 


State Forester. 




Manhattan, 




Kentucky, 


M. C. Rankin, 


Chairman, State Bd. of 




Frankfort, 


Agr., Forestry and 



immigration. 



366 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



Louisiana, F. J. Grace, 

Baton Rouge, 

Maine, E. E. Ring, 

Augusta, 

Maryland, W. F. Besley, 
Baltimore, 

Massachusetts, F. W. Raine, 
Boston, 

Michigan, A. C. Carton, 

Lansing, 

Minnesota, Gen. C. C. Andrews, 
St. Paul, 

New Hampshire, E. C. Hirst, 





Concord, 


New Jersey, 


A. Gaskill, 




Trenton, 


New York, 


C. R. Pettis, 




Albany, 


North Carolina, J. S. Holmes, 




Chapel Hill, 


Ohio, 


Edmund Secrest, 




Wooster, 


Oregon, 


J. W. Baker, 




Cottage Grove 


Pennsylvania, 


R. S. Conklin, 




Harrisburg, 


Rhode Island, 


J. B. Mowy, 




Chepatchet, 


Vermont, 


A. F. Hawes, 




Burlington, 


Washington, 


R. W. Condon, 




Port Gamble 


West Virginia, 


J. A. Viquesney, 




Belington, 


Wis2onsin, 


E. M. Griffith, 




Madison, 



State Forest Commis- 
sioner. 

State Forest Commis- 
sioner. 

State Forester. 

State Forester. 

Sec'y- Forest Commis- 
sion. 

Forestry Commissioner. 
State Forester. 

Sec'y. and Forester of 
Forest Park Reserva- 
tion Commission. 

State Forester. 

Forester, State Geo. and 
Economic Survey. 

Forester, Dept. of For- 
estry, Agr. Experi- 
ment Sta. 

Forest, Fish and Game . 
Warden. 

Commissioner of For- 
estry. 

Commissioner of For- 
estry. 
State Forester. 

Chairman, State Bd. of 
Forest Commissioners 

Forest, Game and Fish 
Warden. 

State Forester. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 



It has already been pointed out in a preceding chapter that 
West Virginia is favorably located for the growth of forests, 
''being in that favored belt of temperature between about 37 de- 
grees and 41 degrees north latitude." The geographic position, 
the topography, and the elevation of the State are such that a 
very large percentage, indeed, of the species of trees that are 
indigenous to the northern states east of the Rocky Mountains 
and as far south as the southern border of Virginia find 
extensive areas of adaptibility for their healthy exist- 
ence. The Alleghany mountain region admits several species of 
cone-bearing trees that belong, primarily, to southern Canada 
and the states of the extreme northeast ; the low, fertile Potomac 
valleys provide suitable places for many of the trees of the At- 
lantic coast region; and the large westward-sloping, trans-Ap- 
palachian portion of the State, with its numerous low valleys 
and hills, meets the requirements of many of the trees that be- 
long to the sub-tropical and middle western regions of the 
United States. 

The list which follows does not include all the native trees 
of West Virginia and does not give the complete distribution in 
the State of many of them. It has been the object to keep on 
safe ground, giving the names of only such species as have been 
definitely determined, and mentioning the localities where it 
is certain they are to be found. A more careful examination 
will add a score or more of trees to the list as well as many new 
stations in the distribution of some of those given. A number 
of additional species of Hawthorns (Crataegus) were collected, 
but, owing to the present confusion of this genus resulting from 
widely difiPering interpretation by specialists and probably from 
the hybridization of nearly related trees, they could not be 



368 



THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 



referred — ^without complete sets of flowers, mature leaves and 
fruits— to the proper species. Other trees which are of especial 
interest on account of the difficulty in some cases of their de- 
termination and the consequent uncertainty of their occurrence 
or distribution in the State, are the Basswoods, the Willows, the 
Poplars, and the Ashes. 

PINUS STROBUS, L. White Pine. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Newfoundland to Manitoba, through the northern states to 
Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Iowa, and along the Alleghany Moun- 
tains to eastern Kentucky and Tennessee and northern Georgia, 
forming nearly pure forests on sandy drift soils, or more often 
in small groves scattered in forests of deciduous-leaved trees on 
fertile, well-drained soils, also on the hanks of streams, river 
flats, or rarely in swamps. * 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Grew originally in abundance 
(1) on the east side of Greenbrier river in Pocahontas and 
Greenbrier counties, chiefly on Knapps creek, Deer creek, 
Sitlington creek, and Anthonys creek; (2) on heads of 
Piney river and Glade creek in Raleigh county; (3) on 
Bluestone river in IMercer county; (4) on Horseshoe run 
and adjacent tributaries of the Cheat river in Tucker 
county. 

Distributed at present as follows: 

Calhoun: Laurel creek, and on Little Kanawha river 

below Grantsville. 
Gilmer: a few scattered trees in northern end. 
Hampshire: scattered among other conifers. 
Hardy: scattered growth. 
Jackson: few trees. 
Mineral: infrequent. 

Pendleton : in creek bottoms. Small areas. Once common 
on South Branch and South Fork of Potomac. Killed 
by beetles in 1892. 

♦ The geographic distribution of all species of trees named in this 
report is according to "Manual of the Trees of North America" by 
Charles S. Sargent. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



369 



Pocahontas : scattered trees and young groves on Knapps, 
Deer, and Sitlington creeks, and on other eastern 
tributaries of the Greenbrier river. 

Preston : distributed in eastern and northern sections. Few 
trees in pine swamp near Cranesville. 

Ealeigh: on Piney river and Glade creek. Two small vir- 
gin areas still remain. Cut-over forests badly burn- 
ed in most places. 

Ritchie : Harrisville, Smithville and other stations. Grow- 
ing with yellow pine and deciduous trees. 

Summers: small number of trees near the mouth of Blue- 
stone river and at other stations on south and east. 

Tucker: few trees on Cheat waters in vicinity of St. 
George. 

Tyler: sparse growth. 

Wetzel :f ew trees. 

Wirt : infrequent. 
Wood. — Soft, straight-grained, easily worked, light, not strong. 
Uses. — ^Valuable wood for interior finish, foir fixtures, shelving, 

cupboards, etc. Used frequently for shingles, for boxes, 

barrels and tanks, for numerous cabinet shop articles, and 

for excelsior and pattern making. Much of the white pine 

growing in the counties back from the Ohio river was cut 

for ship timber. 

PINUS RIGIDA, Mill. Pitch Pine. "Bull Pine". "Rosin-tree." 

Geographic Distribution. 

Sandy plains and dry gravelly uplands, or less frequently cold 
deep swamps; valley of St. Johns river in New Brunswick to the 
northern shores of Lake Ontario, southward in the Atlantic 
states to northern Georgia; crossing the Alleghany Mountains to 
their western foothills in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ten- 
nessee; very abundant on the Atlantic coast south of Massa- 
chusetts Bay; often forming extensive forests in southern New 
Jersey. 

Distrihution -in West Virginia. — Found locally on dry hills in 
the following counties: Boone, Braxton, Clay, Doddridge, 
Fayette, Gilmer, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, 
Kanawha, Logan, Mercer, Monroe, iMingo, McDowell, Nieh- 
24 



370 THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 

olas, Preston, Pocahontas, Randolph, Roane, Summers, 
Tyler, Wayne, and Wyoming. Reported from Greenbrier 
by Millspaugh. In Webster it is rare, being found on the 
divide betv^^een Gauley and Williams rivers at altitude 
3,500 feet, on "Tater knob" on Holly river, and in a few 
other places. It is not frequently found in McDowell and 
Wyoming. 

Wood. — Coarse-grained, brittle, light, reddish, very durable 
Resin-filled knots are frequently found in deciduous woods 
which have been exposed to the weather for hundreds of 
years. 

Uses. — Wood excellent for fuel. Used also for charcoal, interior 
finish for houses, for furniture, for bridge timber, boxes 
and crates. Tar is often made from this wood. An area 
on Snaggy mountain, near Terra Alta, Preston county, was 
used for this purpose. Not an important timber tree in 
West Virginia. 

PINUS ECHINATA, Mill. Yellow Pine. Short-leaved Pine. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Staten Island, New York, to north Florida and to West Vir- 
ginia and eastern Tennessee, and through the Gulf states to east- 
ern Louisiana and southern Missouri to eastern Texas; most 
abundant and of its largest size west of the Mississippi river. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Sparsely distributed in the fol- 
lowing counties lying back from the Ohio river, and on the 
east of the Alleghany mountains. 
Calhoun : common near Grantsville. 
Doddridge: very few trees. 
Grant: east of AUeghanies. 
Hampshire : on dry soils with other softwoods. 
Hardy: scattered grovrth. 

Jackson: once abundant, now scattered thickly in some 

parts of Washington district. 
Mason : few trees in hilly section. 
Mercer: distributed in northern and western parts. 
Mineral : few trees. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



371 



Pendleton : scattered on mountain faces and in coves. 

Putnam: few on hills. 

Ritchie: once plentiful, now infrequent. 

Tyler: once plentiful, now infrequent. 

Wetzel: head of Piney Fork, few. 

Wirt : distributed along the hills on both sides of the Lit- 
tle Kanawha. 
Wood: only a few trees. 

Wood. — Hard, heavy, coarse-grained, yellowish. 

Uses. — A valuable timber tree, now nearly exhausted. Wood 
used for house finish, boxes, crates and barrels, farming 
implements, and furniture. Cut in Tyler, Jackson, and 
other Ohio river counties for masts, spars, and other tim- 
bers for ships. 

PINUS VIRGINIANA, Mill. Jersey Pine. Scrub Pine. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Long Island, New York, southward generally near the coast to 
the valley of the Savannah river, Georgia, to northeastern Ala- 
bama and through eastern and middle Tennessee and Kentucky 
to southern Indiana; usually small in the Atlantic states and 
only on light sandy soil, spreading rapidly over exhausted fields; 
attaining its largest size west of the Alleghany mountains on 
the low hills of southern Indiana. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — 

Barbour : a few scattered trees along Tygarts Valley river. 

Berkeley : abundant on poor hills. 

Boone : few trees on hills near Madison. 

Fayette: clumps at Kanawha Falls. 

Grant: common east of mountains. 

Hampshire: abundant. The prevailing softwood. 

Hardy : common on sandy hills. 

Jefferson : found in sandy soils in western part. 

Kanawha: few on hills. 

Logan: found on hill near Logan Court House. 
Mercer: trees found at Spanishburg. 

Monongalia : several acres of pure stand near Dellslow. on 
Deckers creek. 



372 



THE NATI^T: trees of west VIRGINIA. 



Pocahontas : few on Knapps creek. 

Randolph : on hillsides above Huttonsville. 

Eitchie : few with other softwoods. 

Wayne : few trees found near TTajTie Court House. 

T\>oming: infrequent. 
Wood. — Soft, light, brittle, coarse-grained, decays slowly when 

placed in contact with the soil. 
Uses. — Of little value as a timber tree. Wood used for boxes, 

crates, fencing, ties, and fuel. 

PINUS PUNGENS, Michx. Table Mountain Pine. Hickory 

Pine. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Dry gravelly slopes and ridges of the Appalachian mountains 
from Pennsylvania to North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, 
sometimes ascending to elevations of 3,000 feet, vith isolated 
outlying stations in Virginia, eastern Pennsylvania, and A^-este^n 
New Jersey; often forming to\\-ard the southern limits of its 
range pure forests of considerable extent. 

Distribution in West Yirginia. — Found scattered sparingly with 
other kinds of softwoods in Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, and 
Pendleton. Reported by MUspaugh from Kanawha and 
Mineral. 

Wood. — Coarse-grained, brittle, light. 

Uses. — Not valuable for lumber, used for fuel and charcoal. 

LARIX AMERICANA, Michx. Tamarack. Larch. 

Geograph ic Distribution. 

At the north often on v%-ell-drained uplands, southward in cold 
deep svramps which it often clothes with forests of closely crowd- 
ed trees, from Labrador to the Arctic Circle, ranging west of the 
Rocky Mountains to latitude 65 degrees and 35 minutes north, 
and southward through Canada and the northern states to north- 
ern Pennsylvania and Preston county. Vv^est Yirginia, northern 
Indiana and Illinois, and central Minnesota, and along the eastern 
foothills of the Rocky ]Mountains to about latitude 53 degrees; 
very abundant in the interior of Labrador, where it is the largest 
tree; common along the margins of the barren lands stretching 
beyond the sub-Arctic forest to the shores of the Arctic sea: at- 
taining its largest size north of Lake Winnipeg on low benches 
which it occasionally covers with open forests; rare and local to- 
ward the southern limits of its range. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



373 



Distribution in West Yh^ginia. — Preston county, Cranesville 
swamp at Maryland line. Few scattered trees, none over 
15 inches in diameter. 

Wood. — Hard, heavy, very durable, brownish. 

Uses. — Too rare at present to be of value in West Virginia. 
Wood used for interior finish, telephone poles, cross-ties, 
fence po&ts, ship-building, and for many other purposes. 
Planted as an ornamental tree. 

PICEA RUBENS, Sarg. Red Spruce. 



Geographic Distribution. 

Well-drained uplands and mountain slopes, often forming a 
large part of extensive forests, from Prince Edward Island and 
the valley of the St. Lawrence southward to the coast of Massa- 
chusetts, along the interior hilly part of Nev\^ England and New 
York, and the Alleghany Mountains to the high peaks of North 
Carolina. 



Distribution in W est Virginia. — Confined to high mountains and 
plateaus. Grows at elevations varying from about 2,-500 
feet, in a few instances, up to 4,000 feet and over in the 
following counties : 



Eandolph — on south and east — approximately, 80.000 acres 
Pocahontas — on north and west — " 70,000 " 

Webster— on east— " 10,000 " 

Tucker j 

Pendleton V . 'V 30,000 

Greenbrier ) 



Total 190,000 acres 

A few scattered trees and groves are still to be found in 
Grant and Preston counties, and in the cut-over lands ad- 
jacent to the present uncut areas. 

According to Col. E. Hutton, whose estimate was published 
in* Bulletin No. 17, of the West Virginia Agricultural 
Experiment Station (Dr. A. D. Hopkins, 1891) the area 



374 



THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRGmiA. 



of spruce in West Virginia was 469,000 acres distributed 

as follows: 

Randolph 140,500 acres 

Pocahontas 220,000 " 

Tucker 50,000 " 

Mineral 25,000 " 

Greenbrier 33,500 " 

In 1895 the area of standing spruce was estimated at 225,- 
000 acres. 

Wood. — Light, soft, pale, not strong, more durable than hemlock 
when exposed to the weather. 

Uses. — A very valuable timber tree. Wood used largely in con- 
struction of houses, interior finish, fixtures, musical instru- 
ments, furniture, aeroplanes, and wood pulp. Tree often 
planted in high elevations in yards and lawns. 




MAP SHOWING PRESENT DISTRIBUTION OF RED SPRUCE IN WEST VIRGINIA. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



375 



TSUGA CANADENSIS, Carr. Hemlock. 

Geographic D istri h ution. 

Scattered through upland forests and often covering the north- 
ern slopes of rocky ridges and the steep rocky banks of narrow 
river gorges from Nova Scotia to eastern Minnesota, and south- 
ward through the northern states to New Castle county, Dela- 
ware, southern Michigan, southwestern Wisconsin, and along the 
Appalachian mountains to northwestern Alabama; most abund- 
ant and frequently an important element of the forests in New 
England, northern New York, and western Pennsylvania; attain- 
ing its largest size near streams on the slopes of the high mount- 
ains of North Carolina and Tennessee. 

Distribution in V,^est Virginia. — A common timber tree. Grows 
in nearly all parts of the State. Confined to a few deep 
ravines in the hilly regions east of the Ohio river in 
Wayne, Cabell, ]\Iason, Jackson, Wood, Pleasants, Tyler, 
Wetzel, and the Northern Panhandle counties. Rare in 
Barbour, Harrison, Mingo, Gilmer, Wirt, Roane, Putnam, 
Taylor, Jefferson, Berkeley, and Morgan. Most abundant 
in Randolph, Webster, Tucker, Pocahontas, Nicholas, 
Raleigh, Clay, IMercer, Greenbrier, and the southern end 
of Upshur. 

Wood. — Medium soft, light, coarse-grained, brittle, hard to work, 
quickly decaying when exposed to the weather. 

Uses. — Lumber used largely for rough construction, floors, 
boxes, crates, barrel heads, and staves. Bark used in tan- 
ning leather. Tree planted for shade and ornamental 
hedges. 

ABIES FASERI, Poir. Balsam Fir. She Balsam. "Blister 

Pine." 

Geographic Distrihution. 

Appalachian Mountains from southwestern Virginia to western 
North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, often forming forests of 
considerable extent at elevations between 4,000 feet and 6,000 
feet above the sea level. 

Distrihution in West Virginia. — Growing now in only three 
known localities, viz : 



376 



THE NATI\^ TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 



Randolph: near Cheat Bridge, with red spruce in and 
around a small swampy area drained by Blister run, 
a tributar^^ of Shavers Fork of Cheat river. 

Pocahontas: a few trees scattered along the East Fork of 
Greenbrier river near its head, about 2 miles south 
of Big Sinks. A swamp containing about 40 acres 
was overgrown with this species until recently when 
the trees were nearly ail cut down to improve the 
pasture. 

Tucker : head of Blackwater Fork of Cheat river, sparsely 
distributed over a high basin known as Canaan Val- 
ley. Now chiefly confined to the margin of ]McDon- 
ald Glade where it forms a dense thicket. Said to 
have once grown one mile north of the town of 
Thomas. This handsome evergreen, which is at home 
on the mountains of some of the southern states, 
reaches the northern limit of its range at the Tucker 
county station. 
Wood. — Light, soft, coarse-grained. 

Uses. — Not commercially important in West Virginia. Occa- 
sionally sawed into lumber. Wood used for poles, posts, 
etc., in some sections, and mixed with spruce for pulp- 
wood. Eesinous liquid often collected from "blisters" on 
the bark and used as a medicine. Planted locally in yards 
and lavtTis as an ornamental tree. 

THUYA OCCIDENTALIS, L. White Cedar. Arbor-vitae. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Frequently forming nearly impenetrable forests on s^'ampy 
ground or often occupying the rocky banks of streams, from 
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, northwestward to the mouth 
of the Saskatchewan, and southv/ard through the northern 
states to southern New Hampshire central Massachusetts and 
New York, northern Pennsylvania, central Michigan, northern 
Illinois, and central Minnesota, and along the high Alleghany 
mountains to southern Virginia and northeastern Tennessee; 
very common at the north, less abundant and of smaller size 
southward; on the southern Alleghany mountains only at high 
elevations. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



377 



Distribution in West Virginia. — Rare. Collected on the North 
Fork of South Branch of Potomac between Circleville and 
mouth of Seneca in Pendleton county. Said to grow also 
on South Branch and on the South Fork of the Potomac. 
Reported by Millspaugh from Mineral and Grant counties. 

Wood. — Soft, brittle, light, very durable. 

Uses. — Valuable for posts, ties, poles, etc., but too rare in West 
Virginia to be of great commercial or domestic value. 

JUNIPERUS VIRGINIANA L. Red Cedar. Savin. 

Geo grap hie D istri h utio n. 

Dry gravelly slopes and rocky ridges, often immediately on 
the sea coast, from southern Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to 
the coast of Georgia, the interior of southern Alabama and Mis- 
sissippi, and westward to the valley of the lower Ottawa river, 
eastern Dakota, eastern Nebraska and Kansas, the Indian Terri- 
ritory and eastern Texas, not ascending the mountains of New 
England and New York nor the high southern Alleghanies; in 
middle Kentucky and Tennessee, and northern Alabama and 
Mississippi, covering great areas of low rolling limestone hills 
with nearly pure forests of small bushj^ trees. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Not plentiful. Rarely found in 
Randolph, Tucker, Upshur, Pocahontas, Webster, Barbour, 
Harrison, Taylor, Lewis and in the mountainous parts of 
Nicholas, Greenbrier, Grant, Preston, and Monongalia. A 
scattered growth throughout the whole western and south- 
ern hilly sections and east of the Alleghanies. Rather 
plentiful in Gilmer, Calhoun, Putnam and Hampshire. 

Wood. — Close-grained, soft, light, dark reddish, easily worked, 
very durable. 

Uses. — "Wood used for interior finish, lining of wardrobes, chests, 
etc., for posts and poles, and for pails, tubs, and shingles. 

JUGLANS CINEREA, L. Butternut. "White Walnut." 

Geographic Distribution. 

Rich moist soil near the banks of streams and on low rocky 
hills, southern New Brunswick and the valley of the St. Law- 
rence river in Ontario to eastern Dakota, southeastern Nebraska, 
central Kansas, northern Arkansas, and Delaware, and on the 
Appalachian mountains to northern Georgia and northern Ala- 
bama; most abundant and of its largest size northward. 



378 



THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 



Distribution in West Virginia. — A common tree. Found through- 
' out the State except on highest mountains and in a few 
small areas south and west, especially in Jackson, Putnam, 
Mingo, and Wyoming. Thrives at higher altitudes than 
Black Walnut, reaching 3,000 feet, or over, in its distribu- 
tion along cold mountain streams in Randolph and adja- 
cent counties. 

Wood. — Light, soft, coarse-grained, light brown, durable. 
Uses. — Less valuable than black walnut. Wood used for interior 
finish for houses, for posts, etc. Bears edible nuts. 

JUGLANS NIGRA, L. Black Walnut. 

GeograpJiic Distribution. 

Rich bottom lands and fertile hillsides, western Massachusetts 
to southern Ontario, southern Michigan and Minnesota, central 
and northern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, and southward to west- 
ern Florida, central Alabama and Mississippi, and the valley of 
the San Antonio river, Texas; most abundant in the regions 
west of the Alleghany Mountains, and of its largesc size on the 
western slopes of the high mountains of North Carolina and 
Tennessee, and on the fertile river bottom lands of southern 
Illinois and Indiana, southwestern Arkansas, and the Indian 
Territory; largely destroyed for its valuable timber, and now 
rare. 

Distrihution in West Virginia. — Still found in scattered growth 
in rich coves, valleys, and hillsides in every county. Not 
found at high altitudes. 

Wood. — Heavy, dark brown, hard, coarse-grained, durable heart- 
wood. 

Uses. — A very valuable timber tree. Wood used for furniture of 
all kinds, veneering, musical instruments, wainscot, gun 
stocks, and for many other purposes. Produces large quan- 
tities of edible nuts. 

HICORIA MINIMA, Britt. Bitternut. Swamp Hickory. 

(jreograpMc Distribution. 

Low wet woods near the borders of streams and swamps or 
high rolling uplands often remote from streams, southern Maine 
to Ontario, central Michigan and Minnesota, southeastern Ne- 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



379 



braska eastern Kansas and Indian Territory, and southward to 
northwestern Florida, northern Alabama, and eastern Texas; 
one of the largest and commonest hickory trees of southern New 
England, and abundant in all the central states east and west 
of the Appalachian mountains; growing to its largest size on 
the bottom lands of the lower Ohio basin; the common hickory 
of Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Infrequent. Found in rather 

small numbers in the following counties: 

Boone : near Madison, on Pond Fork of Little Coal river. 

Grant : near Gormania, on North Branch of Potomac. 

Hampshire: near Romney. 

Hardy: near Moorefield. 

Jefferson: near Harpers Ferry. 

Monongalia : near Morgantown. 

Pocahontas: Cranberry Glades. 

Tucker: near Hendricks. 

Tyler: on Middle Island creek. 

Reported by Millspaugh from Greenbrier county. 
Wood. — Hard, close-grained, heavy, tough, light broAvn. 
Uses. — Wood used for fuel, handles, hoops, etc. Fruit bitter. 

HICORIA OVATA, Britt. Shellbark Hickory. Shagbark 

Hickory. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Low hills or near streams and swamps, in rich deep moder- 
ately moist soil from southern Maine to the valley of the St. 
Lawrence river near Montreal, southwestward along the north- 
ern shores of Lake Erie and Ontario to southern Michigan, cen- 
tral Minnesota, southeastern Nebraska, southward to Pennsyl- 
vania and Delaware and along the Appalachian mountains to 
western Florida, northern Alabama and Mississippi, and west- 
ward to central Kansas, the Indian Territory and eastern 
Texas; most common and of its largest size on the western 
slopes of the southern Allegheny mountains and in the basin 
of the lower Ohio river. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — A common tree. Found in all 
parts of the State except on high mountains. Reported as 
not plentiful in Wetzel, Roane, Jackson, and Summers. 

Wood. — Heavy, hard, strong, tough, close-grained, flexible, light 
in color. 



380 



THE NATIVE TREES OF W"EST VIRGINIA. 



Uses. — Very valuable wood. Used for agricultural implements, 
handles of various kinds, baskets, vehicles, and fuel. Pro- 
duces delicious nuts. 

HICORIA LACINIOSA, Sarg. Big Shellbark. Bottom 
Shellbark. 

Geographic Distrihution. 

Rich deep bottom-lands usually inundated during several 
weeks of the year from Iowa to southeastern Nebraska, through 
Missouri and Arkansas, eastern Kansas and the eastern portion 
of the Indian Territory, through southern Illinois and Indiana 
to East Tennessee, southern Michigan, western and central New 
York, eastern Pennsylvania and middle North Carolina; rare 
and local east of the Alleghany mountains and comparatively 
rare in Arkansas, Kansas and the Indian Territory; one of the 
commonest trees of the great river swamps of central jNIis- 
souri and the lower Ohio basin. 

Distrihution in West Virginia. — Rare. Found in Ohio river bot- 
toms near Point Pleasant, in Mason county, and near 
Parkersburg, in Wood county. Probably grows at many 
points along the Ohio river. Reported by ]\Iillspaugh from 
Ice's Ferry on Cheat river, near Morgantown. 

Wood. — Similar to that of the last species of hickory described 
above. 

Uses. — Not commercially important in West Virginia on account 
of the scarcity of the tree. Wood used as in other species 
of this genus. 

KICORIA ALBA, Britt. Mockernut. Big Bud Hickory. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Southern Ontario southward to Cape Canaveral and the 
shores of Tampa Bay, Florida, and westward to eastern Kan- 
sas, the Indian Territory and eastern Texas; comparatively 
rare at the north, growing on ridges and less frequently on 
alluvial river bottoms; the most abundant and generally dis- 
tributed of the hickory trees of the south, attaining its largest 
size in the basin of the lower Ohio river and in Missouri and 
Arkansas; the only hickory in the southern maritime pine-belt, 
growing in great abundance on low sandy hummocks close to 
the shores of bays and estuaries along the coast of the south 
Atlantic and Gulf states. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



381 



Distribution in West Virginia. — Found near Morgantown. Mon- 
ongalia county, and in Hampshire, near Romney. 
Reported by Millspaugh as frequent. 

Wood. — Similar to that of Shellbark Hickory. 

Uses. — Same as Shellbark and Pignut. 



HICORIA GLABRA, Britt. Pignut. 



Geographic Distribution. 

Dry ridges and hillsides, southern Maine to southern Ontario, 
and southward to the shores of the Indian river and Peace 
creek, Florida, southern Alabama and Mississippi, and through 
southern Michigan, to southeastern Nebraska, Missouri, eastern 
Kansas, Arkansas, the Indian Territory, and Texas; most com- 
mon in Missouri and Arkansas; of its largest size in the basin 
of the lower Ohio river; ranging farther south in Florida than 
• other hickories, and, with the exception of the Pecan, farther 
to the southw^est in Texas. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — A common tree. Grows in every 

county in the State, but not frequent at high altitudes. 
Wood. — Similar to that of other hickories. 
Uses. — Same as in the preceding species of hickory. 



POPULUS TREMULOIDES, Michx. Aspen. Quaking Asp. 



Geographic Distribution. 

Southern Labrador to the southern shores of Hudson's Bay 
and northwesterly to the mouth of Mackenzie river and the val- 
ley of the Yukon river, Alaska, through the northern states to 
mountains of Pennsylvania, northeastern Missouri and north- 
western Nebraska, and through all the mountain regions of the 
west, often ascending to elevations of 10,000 ft. above the level 
of the sea, to the sierras of central California, northern Arizona 
and New Mexico, the high mountain ranges of Chihuahua and 
to Mt. San Pedro Martir in Lower California; in the east com- 
mon and generally distributed usually in moist sandy soil and 
gravelly hillsides; bordering the midcontinental prairie region 
with a wide belt, and growing with its greatest vigor and to its 
largest size on the western margin of the Atlantic forest north 
of the 49th degree; farther to the northwest forming with the 
Birch and the Spruce the forests of high ridges; in the west 
and southwest on the high slopes of mountains and along the 
banks of streams; most valuable in the power of its seeds to 
germinate quickly in soil made fertile by fire and of its seed- 
lings to grow quickly in exposed situations; now widely spread 
over vast areas on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains swept by 
fire of their former covering of coniferous trees. 



382 THE NATI^^ TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Infrequent. Found in the fol- 
lowing counties: 

Randolph: a few trees at Glady, on Glady Fork of Cheat 
river. 

Pocahontas : at Dunlevie, on the Greenbrier, and at Cran- 
berry Glades. 
Grant : sununit of Alleghany mountains. 
Tucker: high plateau near Davis. 
Preston: near Cranes^dlle. 
Upshur: on French creek. 

Reported by Millspaugh from Calhoun, Gilmer, Mononga- 
lia, jMason, Summers, and Wirt. 
Wood. — Soft, light, brownish. 
Uses. — Not valuable for its wood. 

« 

POPULUS GRANDIDENTATA, Michx. Poplar. 

Gecgraphic Distribution. 

Rich moist sandy soil near the borders of swamps and 
streams; No^^ Scotia, through New Brunswick, southern Que- 
bec and Ontario to northern Minnesota, southward through 
the northern states to northern Delaware, southern Indiana 
and Illinois, northeastern and central Iowa, and along the Alle- 
ghany mountains to North Carolina, and westward to central 
Kentucky and Tennessee. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Not common. Found in the fol- 
lowing localities: 
Webster: on Elk mountain. 
Randolph : Horton, Gandy creek. 
Tucker: near Da^ds. 
Monongalia: on Deckers creek. 
Tyler: near Middlebourne. 

Reported by Millspaugh from Ohio and Preston. 

Wood. — Light, brownish, thin white sapwood. 

Uses. — Not commercially important. Wood used for minor do- 
mestic purposes in West Virginia. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



383 



POPULUS DELTOIDES, Marsh. Cottonwood. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Banks of streams, often toiming extensive open groves; 
Province of Quebeck and ttie sliores of Lake Champlain, 
through western New England and New York, Pennsylvania 
west of the Alleghany mountains, and the Atlantic states south 
of the Potomac river to western Florida, and westward to the 
base of the Rocky mountains, from southern Alberta to north- 
ern New Mexico. * * * Comparati\ ely rare and of smaller 
size in the east and in the coast region of the south Atlantic 
and east Gulf states, and the largest and one of the most 
abundant trees along the streams between the Appalacnian and 
the Rocky Mountains, making their course over the midcon- 
tinental plateau to the extreme limit of tree-growth, and grow- 
ing to its largest size as far west as the 100th meridian. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Infrequent. Found on the 
South Branch of Potomac near Romney, Hampshire coun- 
ty; and near Petersburg on the South Branch and on 
Lunice creek, in Grant county. 

Wood. — Brownish, with white sapwood, difficult to season. 

Uses. — Not now important in AVest Virginia. Wood used for 
various purposes, including interior finish, boxes, furni- 
ture, cooperage, and wagon beds. Frequently planted as a 
shade tree. 

SALIX NIGRA, Marsh. Black Willow. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Low moist alluvial banks of streams and lakes; southern New 
Brunswick and the northern shores of Lake Huron and Superior 
to southern Florida, and to eastern Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas 
and the Indian Territory; through western Texas, southern New 
Mexico and Arizona, and southward in Mexico; along the west- 
ern foothills of the Sierra Nevada, and northward in western 
California to the valley of the Sacramento river and the eastern 
base of the Coast Range in Caloosa county; the largest and most 
conspicuous willow of eastern North America; most abundant in 
the basin of the Mississippi river, and of its largest size in 
southern Indiana and Illinois and in the valley of the lower 
Colorado river in Texas; rare in California. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — An abundant tree along streams 
throughout the State. Most common in the lower counties 
but found to some extent in almost every locality. 

Wood. — Soft, light, not durable. 



384 



THE NATI^^ TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 



Uses. — Of greatest value in West Virginia in preventing tlie 
falling in of banks. "Wood of little commercial value. 
(Variety falcata, Torr., v^^ith scythe-shaped leaves, was 
collected at Morgantown, along the Monongahela, 
and at Weston, along the AVest Fork.) 

CARPINUS CAROLINIANA, Walt. Hornbeam. Blue Beech. 
*'Water Beech." 

Geographic Distribution. 

Borders of streams and swamps, generally in deep rich moist 
soil; southern and western Quebec to the northern shores of 
Georgian Bay, southward to Cape Malabar and the shores of 
Tampa Bay, Florida, and westward to northern Minnesota, 
eastern Nebraska and Kansas, the Indian Territory, and east- 
ern Texas; reappearing on the mountains of southern Mexico 
and Central America; common in the eastern and central states, 
most abundant and of its largest size on the western slopes of 
the southern Alleghany mountains and in southern Arkansas 
and Texas. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — A small abundant tree, distrib- 
uted along streams and in moist ground throughout the • 
State. 

Wood. — Close-grained, heavy, light-colored. 
Uses. — Of no commercial value. Sometimes used for levers, 
wedges, and for other minor domestic purposes. 

OSTRYA VIRGINIANA, K. Koch. Hop Hornbeam. Iron- 
wood. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Dry gravelly slopes and ridges often in the shade of oaks 
and other large trees; Island of Cape Breton and the shores of 
the Bay of Chaleur, through the valley of the St. Lawrence 
river, and along the northern shores of Lake Huron to western 
Ontario, northern Minnesota, the Black Hills of Dakota, east- 
ern and northern Nebraska, eastern Kansas and southward to 
northern Florida and eastern Texas; most abundant and of its 
largest size in southern Arkansas and Texas. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Small tree. Frequent in thinly 

scattered growth throughout the State. 
Wood. — Very hard, close-grained, heavy, durable. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 385 

Uses. — ^Valuable for posts, tool handles, and for various domestic 
uses. Found in such small quantities as to render it of 
little importance. 

BETULA LENTA, L. Cherry Birch. Black Birch. 

Geographic Distribution, 

Rich uplands from Newfoundland and the valley of the 
Saguenay river to northwestern Ontario, and central Iowa, and 
southward to Delaware, southern Indiana and Illinois, and 
along the Alleghany mountains to western Florida, central 
Kentucky and Tennessee; a common forest tree at the north, 
and of its largest size on the v/estern slopes of the southern 
Appalachian mountains. 

Distribution in ^¥est Virginia. — A common tree in the high hilly 
and mountainous counties of Randolph, Tucker, Upshur, 
Braxton, Webster, Pocahontas, Nicholas, Clay, Kanawha, 
Fayette, Greenbrier, Raleigh, Mercer, and Monroe. South 
and west of this group of counties the species becomes less 
frequent being found only occasionally on rock cliffs in the 
low hills of the first and second tiers of counties east of the 
Ohio river and along the Big Sandy waters from Wayne to 
McDowell. Scattered through the counties east of the 
mountains. Almost entirely disappearing over large areas 
in northern Upshur and Lewis, western Barbour, in Harri- 
son, Taylor and ]\Iarion, western Monongalia, in the lime- 
stone plateaus of Greenbrier and Monroe, and in several 
smaller areas here and there. 

Wood. — Close-grained, hard, reddish, resembling black cherry. 

Uses. — ^Yaluable. Wood used principally for furniture and in- 
terior finish. Sometimes employed in the manufacture of 
vehicles, cars, boxes and crates. Excellent as fuel. A flavor 
used in medicine is distilled from the wood, and the fer- 
mented sap is sold as birch beer. 

BETULA LUTEA, Michx. Yellow Birch. Gray Birch. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Moist uplands, in rich soil, and one of the largest deciduous- 
leaved trees of northeastern America; Newfoundland and along 
the northern shores of the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the valley of 
Rainy river, and southward to northern Delaware and northern 
25 



386 



THE NATI\'E TREES OF WEST TOGINIA. 



Minnesota, and along the Allegheny mountains to the highest 
peaks of North Carolina and Tennessee; very abundant and of 
its largest size in the eastern provinces of Canada and in 
northern New York and New England; small and rare in 
southern New England and southward.- 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Frequent in the monntains. 
Grows with other hardwoods, but more often with spruce 
and hemlock, reaching the highest elevations above the sea 
from Grant and Tucker along the Alleghanies, and parallel 
lesser ranges, to Mercer and McDowell. Infrequent in the 
low hilly half of the State and in the eastern panhandle. 
This species prefers the highest parts of mountains where 
elevations are from 3,500 feet to 4,500 feet, and over, but 
is usually found in cool, damp ravines on the outposts of 
its range. 

Wood. — ^Very strong, close-grained, hard, lighter in color than 
that of the preceding species. 

Uses. — ^Valuable for furniture, interior finish, wagon hubs, agri- 
cultural implements, and boxes of various kinds. 



BETULA NIGRA, L. Red Birch. River Birch. 



Geographic Distribution. 

Banks of streams, ponds, and swamps, in deep rich soil often 
inundated for several weeks at a time; northeastern Massachu- 
setts, Long Island, New York, southward to western Florida 
through the region east of the Alleghany mountains except in 
the immediate neighborhood of the coast, through the Gulf 
states to the valley of the Trinity river, Texas, and through the 
Mississippi valley to the Indian Territor3% eastern Kansas, the 
bottom-lands of the Missouri river in eastern Nebraska, cen- 
tral Minnesota, southern Wisconsin, and Ohio; the only semi- 
aquatic species and the only species ripening its seed in the 
spring or early summer; attaining its largest size in the damp 
semi-tropical lowlands of Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, and 
the only birch tree of such warm regions. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Closely confined to borders of 
streams. Found along the following rivers : 
Williams : a few clumps for 5 miles up from its mouth in 
Webster. 

Gauley : from near the mouth of Williams river to Kanawha 
Falls. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



387 



Greenbrier : from Hosterman, in Pocahontas, to Hinton, in 
Summers. 

New: from 2 miles above Hinton to its junction with the 
Gauley. 

Great Kanawha: scattered along its whole course, origin- 
ally. 

Little Coal : from above Madison to its mouth. 
Elk: from Webster county through Braxton, Clay, and 
Kanawha. 

Guyandot : from in "Wyoming county to its mouth. 

Twelvepole : in Wayne. 

Big Sandy: plentiful. 

Little Kanawha : in Wood and Wirt. 

Potomac : from above Keyser to Harpers Ferry. 

Was not found growing along the banks of the Ohio river 
itself. 

Wood. — ^Medium hard, light, close-grained, pale. 
Uses. — Of no commercial value in West Virginia. Used in some 
cases for furniture and woodenware. 

FAGUS AMERICANA, Sweet. Beech. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Ricli uplands and mountain slopes, often forming nearly pure 
forests, and southward on the bottom-lands of streams and the 
margins of swamps; valley of the Restigouche river, the north- 
ern shores of Lake Huron and northern Wisconsin, southward 
to western Florida, and through southern Illinois and south- 
eastern Missouri to the valley of the Trinity river, Texas; one 
of the most widely distributed trees of eastern North America; 
of its largest size in the forests on intervale lands in the basin 
of the lower Ohio river, and on the slopes of the southern Al- 
leghany mountains. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Abundant in many parts of the 
State ; found to some extent in every county. Most plenti- 
ful, originally, in the valley of the Great Kanawha river. 
Infrequent in the counties of the eastern panhandle, and in 
Summers, Mercer, McDowell, and Wyoming. 

Wood. — Tough, hard, close-grained, light red, not durable in con- 
tact with the ground. 



388 



THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 



Uses— Wood used for furniture, broom handles, clothes pins^ 
and numerous small wooden articles. 

By-products, charcoal, wood alcohol, acetate of lime. 

CASTANEA DENTATA, Borkh. Chestnut. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Southern Maine to the valley of the Winooski river, Vermont,, 
and southern Ontario, along the southern shores of Lake On- 
tario to southern Michigan, southward to Delaware and south- 
eastern Indiana, and along the Alleghany mountains to cen- 
tral Alabama and Mississippi, and to central Kentucky and 
Tennessee; very common on the glacial drift of the northern 
states and, except at the north, mostly confined to the Appa- 
lachian hills; attaining its largest size in western North Caro- 
lina and eastern Tennessee. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Frequent throughout the State ; 
most abundant and of largest size through the high hilly 
and mountainous sections, including portions of Preston, 
Barbour, Upshur, Randolph, Braxton, Webster, Pocahontas, 
Nicholas, and a few adjacent counties. Infrequent except 
on dry ridges east of the Alleghany mountains, and also 
along the Ohio river. 

Wood. — Soft, light, coarse-grained, not strong, durable in con- 
tact with the ground, light brown. 

Uses. — Cheap furniture, interior finish, telephone and telegraph 
poles, fence posts, rails, shingles, boxes, crates, etc. 
Valued on account of its nuts. 

CASTANEA PUMILA, Mill. Chinquapin. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Dry sandy ridges, rich hillsides and the borders of swamps; 
southern Pennsylvania to northern Florida and the valley of 
the Naches river, Texas; usually shrubby in the region east of 
the Alleghany mountains; arborescent west of the Mississippi 
river; most abundant and of its largest size in southern Ar- 
kansas and eastern Texas. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Not widely distributed. 
Mercer: found in several localities. 
Wyoming: occurs frequently. 




Plioio l)y A D. Hopkins. 
TYPICAL CHESTNUT OAKS, MONONGALIA COUNTY. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 389 

Summers : common. 
Logan: rare. 

Boone : few trees on Pond Fork of Little Coal river. Trees 

with straight trunks 3 or 4 inches in diameter. 
Fayette: found at Fayetteville. 

Reported from Wayne, Monroe, Mingo, (rare) Braxton 
(rare), Gilmer (rare), Greenbrier, Pendleton^ Grant, 
and Nicholas (rare) . 
Wood. — Coarse-grained, hard, light, brownish. 
Uses. — Wood of no commercial value in West Virginia. Nuts 
often sold in market of southern towns. 

QUERCUS RUBRA, L. Red Oak. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Nova Scotia and southern New Brunswick through Quebec 
to the northern shores of Lake Huron and to Lake Namekagon, 
southward to middle Tennessee and Virginia, and along the 
high Appalachian mountains to northern Georgia, and west- 
ward to eastern Nebraska and central Kansas; rare and of 
small size toward the northern limits of its range; abundant 
in southern Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario; one of the larg- 
est and most common trees of the forests of the northern states, 
and of its largest size in the region north of the Ohio river, 
less common and usually of smaller size southward. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Found throughout the State. 
Most frequent and of largest size in the high hilly and 
mountainous sections. Grows at higher elevations than the 
other native oaks. Rather infrequent, of smaller size, and 
poorer in quality in the low counties along the Ohio river 
and in the eastern part of the State. 

Wood.- — Hard, heavy, medium close-grained, reddish brown. 

Uses. — One of the valuable timber trees. Chief use of wood is 
for furniture and interior finish for houses. 

QUERCUS PALUSTRIS, Muench. Pin Oak. Swamp Spanish 

Oak. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Borders of swamps and river-bottoms in deep moist rich soil; 
valley of the Connecticut river in western Massachusetts to 
southern Missouri, and southward to the valley of the lower 
Potomac river, Virginia, central Kentucky, southwestern Ten- 



390 



THE NATI\^ TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 



nessee, northern Arkansas, and eastern borders of the Indian 
Territory; rare and of small size in New England; exceeding- 
ly-common on the coast plain south of the Hudson river; of its 
largest size and very abundant on the bottom-lands of the 
streams of the lower Ohio basin. 

Distribution in West Yirginia. — Infrequent in most sections. 
Mercer: plentiful near Princeton. 
Hardy: few trees near Moorefield. 

Reported by Millspaugh from Stumptown, Monongalia 
county. 

Wood. — Heavy, coarse-grained, light-colored. 
Uses. — Not important as a timber tree in "West Virginia. "Wood 
used for construction, boards, posts, rails, and staves. 

QUERCUS COCCINEA, Moench. Scarlet Oak. "Pin Oak.'* 

Geographic Distribution. 

Light and dry usually sandy soil; valley of the Androscoggin 
river, Maine, through southern New Hampshire and Vermont 
and central New York to southern . Ontario, westward through 
central Michigan and Minnesota to southeastern Nebraska, and 
southward to the District of Columbia and northern Illinois, 
and along the Alleghany mountains to North Carolina; very 
abundant in the coast region from Massachusetts Bay to south- 
ern New Jersey; less common in the interior, grov;ing on dry 
gravelly uplands, and on the prairies skirting the VN'estern 
margins of the eastern forest. 

Distribution in West Yirginia, — Grows on dry bills throughout 
the State. Not found in the higher mountains. 

Wood. — Hard, hea^^y, coarse-grained, light brown. 

Uses. — ^^^ood used for furniture, interior finish, cross-ties, staves, 
and fuel. 

QUERCUS VELUTINA, Lam. Black Oak. Yellow-bark Oak. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Dry gravelly uplands and ridges; coast of southern Maine to 
northern Vermont, southern and western Ontario and central 
Minnesota, and southward to northern Florida, southern Ala- 
bama and Mississippi, southeastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, 
the Indian Territory and eastern Texas; one of the commonest 
oaks on the gravelly drift of southern New England and the 
middle states; often forming a large part of the forest growth 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



391 



in the foothill regions of the southern Appalachian mountains; 
abundant in all parts of the Mississippi basin, and of its largest 
size in the valley of the lower Ohio river; the common species 
of the black oak group reaching the south-Atlantic and Gulf 
coast, and here generally scattered on dry ridges through the 
maritime pine belt. 

Distrihutioji in West Virginia. — Distributed generally over the 
State. Abundant in scrubby growth on hills over the 
southern half of the State, where it is usually known as 
"Blackjack." 

Wood. — Hard, strong, coarse-grained, reddish brown. 

Uses. — TTood used for interior finish, boards, staves, ties, etc. Of 
less value as a timber tree than some of the other oaks. . 

QUERCUS NANA, Sarg. Bear Oak. Scrub Oak. "Jack Oak." 

Geographic Distribution. 

Dry sandy barrens and rocky hillsides; coast of eastern 
Maine southvrard through eastern and southern New England 
to eastern Pennsylvania and along the Alleghany mountains to 
southern Virginia, and westward to the shores of Lake George 
and the valley of the Hudson river; common in eastern and 
southern New England, in the pine barrens of New^ Jersey, and 
in eastern Pennsylvania. 

Bistrihufion in West Virginia. — Principally east of the Alle- 
ghanies and the southern mountainous counties. 
Hampshire: abundant. 
Hardy: found frequently. 

Grant : common east of the Alleghany crest and found as 

far west as ]\Iount Storm. 
Monroe : frequent on dry ridges. 
Summ.ers : common in some localities on hills. 
Eeported from Pocahontas and Greenbrier. 
Uses. — Of no commercial value; used occasionally for domestic 
purposes. 

QUERCUS PAGOD^FOLIA, Ashe. Swamp Spanish Oak. 

Geographic Distri'bution. 

Rich bottom-lands and the alluvial banks of streams; south- 
western Virginia to northern Florida, and through the Gulf 
states and Arkansas to southern Missouri, western Tennessee 



S92 THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 

and Kentucky, and southern Illinois and Indiana; most abund- 
ant and one of the largest and most valuable timber trees in 
the river swamps of the Yazoo basin, Mississippi, and of east- 
ern Kansas. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Rare. 

Kanawha county: a few trees found on north side of Ka- 
nawha river at Charleston. 

Wood. — Hard, heavy, light reddish brown. 

Uses. — A valuable timber tree in regions where it grows in great- 
er abundance. Wood used for same purposes as that of 
white oak. 

QUERCUS IMBRICARIA, Michx. Shingle Oak. Laurel Oak. 

Oeograpliic Distribution. 

Rich uplands and the fertile bottom lands of rivers; Lehigh 
county, Pennsylvania, westward through southern Michigan 
and Wisconsin to northern Missouri and northeastern Kansas, 
southward to the District of Columbia, and along the Alleghany 
mountains to northern Georgia and Alabama, middle Tennessee 
and northern Arkansas; comparatively rare in the east; one of 
the mcst abundant oaks of the lower Ohio basin; probably 
growing to its largest size in southern Indiana and Illinois. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Infrequent. Found growing 
along streams m the following counties: 
Barbour : near Belington on Tygarts Valley river. 
Grant : on Lunice creek. 

Hardy : few trees near Moorefield on South Branch of Po- 
tomac. 

Mason : frequent along the Ohio river. 
Monongalia: common near Morgantown on Monongahela 
river. 

Upshur : along Buckhannon river from Hampton down, and 
on Cutrights run. 
Wood. — Hard, hea.vy, coarse-grained, light bro^vn. 
Uses. — Not valuable as a timber tree in West Virginia. Wood 

used for interior finish, furniture, boards, and fuel. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



393 



QUERCUS ALBA, L. White Oak. 

"Geographic Distribution. 

Sandy plains and gravelly ridges, rich uplands, intervales, 
and moist bottom-lands, sometimes forming nearly pure forests; 
southern Maine to southwestern Quebeck, westward through 
southern Ontario, the lower peninsula of Michigan, and southern 
Minnesota to southeastern Nebraska and eastern Kansas, and 
southward to northern Florida and the valley of the Brazos 
river, Texas; most abundant and of its largest size on the 
western slopes of the southern Alleghany mountains, and on 
the bottom-lands of the lower Ohio basin. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — One of the most widely dis- 
tributed timber trees of tlie State. Found in every county 
and in almost every wooded locality except those of the 
highest elevations. Growing to the largest size and pro- 
ducing the clearest and most easily worked wood in the 
Great Kanawha valley and southward, and in the fertile 
valley of the Ohio. Of smaller size but with tougher wood 
in the north-central counties, including Gilmer, Calhoun, 
Braxton, Doddridge, Harrison, Barbour, and others, and in 
the limestone areas of Greenbrier and Monroe. 

Wood. — Hard, close-grained, heavy, light-colored, durable. 

Uses. — ^Very valuable. "Wood used for furniture, interior finish, 
staves, boards, cross-ties, vehicles, ship -building, and for 
many other purposes. 

QUERCUS MINOR, Sarg. Post Oak. Iron Oak. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Cape Cod and islands of southern Massachusetts, Rhode Is- 
land and Long Island, New York, to northern Florida and 
southern Alabama and Mississippi, and from New York west- 
ward to Missouri, eastern Kansas, the Indian Territory and 
Texas; most abundant and of its largest size on dry gravelly up- 
lands in the Mississippi basin; the common oak of central Tex- 
as on limestone hills and sandy plains; usually shrubby and 
rare and local in southern Massachusetts; more abundant 
southward from the coast of the south Atlantic and the eastern 
Gulf states to the lower slopes of the Appalachian mountains. 

Distribution in Ys^est Virginia. — Not abundant in any locality 
nor widely distributed in the State. Found as follows : 
Braxton : on dry banks along Elk river near Sutton. 



394 



THE NATIVE TREES OP WEST VIRGINIA. 



Calhoun: frequent near Grantsville. 

Fayette: near Fayetteville. 

Grant: on Lunice creek. 

Hampshire : few trees near Romney. 

Hardy: common near Moorefield. 

Kanawha: common near Charleston. 

Lewis: few trees near Weston. 

McDowell : few trees on ridge north of Welch. 

Mercer: common near Princeton. 
Wood. — Heavy, hard, close-grained, durable. 
Uses. — ^Valuable for posts, interior finish of houses, furniture^ 

boards, cross-ties, staves, and vehicles. 

QUERCUS MACROCARPA, Michx. Burr Oak. Mossy 

Cup Oak. 

Geographic Distrihution. 

Low rich bottom-lands and intervales or rarely in the north- 
west on low dry hills; Nova Scotia and New Brunswick west- 
ward through the valley of the St. Lawrence river to Ontario, 
and along the northern shores of Lake Huron to southern Man- 
itoba, southward to the valley of the Penobscot river, Maine, to 
the shores of Lake Champlain, Vermont, vrestern Massachusetts, 
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, central Tennessee, the Indian 
Territory and the valley of the Nueces river, Texas, westward 
to the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Montana, v/est- 
ern Nebraska and central Kansas; attaining its largest size in 
southern Indiana and Illinois; the common oak of the "oak 
openings" of western Minnesota, and in all the basin of the 
Red River of the North, ranging farther to the northwest than 
the other oaks of eastern America; common and generally dis- 
tributed in Nebraska, and of a large size in canons or on river 
bottoms in the extreme western part of the state; the most 
generally distributed oak of Kansas, growing to large size in 
all the eastern part of the state. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Rare. 

Hardy : one tree near head of Mudlick run along Romney 

and Moorefield turnpike. 
Grant : few trees on Lunice creek. 

Reported from Long Reach, Tyler county, by Millspaugh. 
Uses. — A valuable timber tree in some states, but too rare in 
West Virginia to be of any commercial importance. "Wood 
used for same purposes as that of white oak. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



395 



QUERCUS PLATANOIDES, Sudw. Swamp White Oak. 

Geographic Distribution.' 

Borders of streams and swamps in moist fertile soil; south- 
ern Maine to northern Vermont and southwestern Quebeck, 
westward through Ontario and the southern peninsula of Michi- 
gan to southeastern Iowa and western Missouri, and southward 
to the District of Columbia, northern Kentucky and Arkansas, 
and along the Appalachian mountains to northern Georgia; 
widely scattered, usually in small groves but nowhere very 
abundant; most common and of its largest size in western New 
York and northern Ohio. 



Distribution in West Yirgiyiia. — Infrequent. Found so far only 
in the localities named below : 
Grant : few trees along Lunice creek. 

Hardy : scattered along the South Branch near Moorefield. 

Pocahontas : few trees near Marlinton. 

Randolph : infrequent along the Tygarts Valley near Hut- 

tonsville. 
Upshur: rare near Lorentz. 
Wood. — Heavy, hard, tough, light broT^oi. 

Uses. — ^Valuable for interior finish, boat-building, cross-ties,^ 
staves, fencing, and fuel. 



QUERCUS PRINUS, L. Chestnut Oak. Rock Chestnut Oak. 



Geographic Distribution. 

Hillsides and high rocky banks of streams in rich and deep 
or sometimes sterile soil; coast of southern Maine, the Blue 
Hills of eastern Massachusetts, southward to Delaware and the 
District of Columbia, and along the Appalachians to northern 
Georgia and Alabama, westward to the shores of Lake Cham- 
plain and the valley of the Genesee river, New York, the north- 
ern shores of Lake Erie, and to central Kentucky and Tennes- 
see; rare and local in New England and Ontario; abundant on 
the banks of the lower Hudson river and on the Appalachian 
hills from southern New York to Alabama; most common and 
of its largest size on the lower slopes of the mountains of the 
Carolinas and Tennessee, here often forming a large part of 
the forest. 



Distribution in West Virginia. — Common in all parts of the 
State except on the high mountains and plateaus. 
Abundant on the dry ridges of Pendleton, Grant, Hardy,. 



THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 



Hampshire, and Morgan, but scarcely less abundant in 

numerous other sections. 
Wood. — Heavy, hard, close-grained, light brown, durable. 
Uses. — Valuable for cross-ties, interior finish, fencing, fuel, 

staves, etc. Bark used extensively for tanning leather. 

QUERCUS ACUMINATA, Sarg. Yellow Oak. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Gardner's Island, Lake Champlain, western Massachusetts 
and Connecticut, and near the city of Newburg, New York, 
westward through southern Ontario to southeastern Nebraska 
and eastern Kansas, southward in the Atlantic states to the 
District of Columbia and the valley of the upper Potomac river, 
and west of the Alleghany mountains to central Alabama and 
Mississippi, through Arkansas and northern Louisiana, to the 
eastern borders of the Indian Territory and to the valley of the 
Nueces river and the Guadaloupe mountains, Texas; rare and 
comparatively local in the Atlantic states, usually on limestone 
soil; very abundant in the Mississippi basin, growing on lime- 
stone ridges, dry flinty hills, or deep rich bottom-lands and the 
rocky banks of streams; of its largest size on the lower Wabash 
river and its tributaries in southern Indiana and Illinois. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Infrequent. Found in the fol- 
lowing counties : 

Boone : few trees near Madison on Little Coal river. 
Doddridge: several trees on Middle Island creek a short 

distance below West Union. 
Fayette: at Kanawha Falls. 

Grant: probably more common near Petersburg than in 

any other part of the State. 
Hardy: few trees on Mudlick run. 
Kanawha: near St. Albans. 
Monongalia : few trees near ]\Iorgantovm. 
Summers : on New river above Hinton. 

Webster :on Elk river 2 miles above Webster Springs. 
Wood. — ^Very strong, heavy, durable, close-grained, light-colored. 

Uses. — Fencing, vehicles, staves, interior finish, and cross-ties. 
Too rare in West Virginia to be of commercial importance. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



397 



ULMUS AMERICANA, L. White Elm. 

Geographic Distribution. 

River bottom-lands, intervales, low rich hills, and the banks 
of streams; southern Newfoundland to the northern shores of 
Lake Superior and the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains, 
southward to Cape Canaveral and the shores of Peace creek, 
Florida, westward to the Black hills, Dakota, western Nebraska, 
western Kansas, the Indian Territory, and the valley of the 
Rio Concho, Texas; very common northward, less abundant and 
of smaller size southward; abundant on the banks of streams 
flowing through the midcontinental plateau. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Common in most parts of the 
State. Rare in some parts of Upshur, Webster, Randolph, 
Tucker, Pocahontas, Nicholas, Greenbrier, and other 
mountainous counties. Confined to low land. 

Wood. — Heavy, strong, tough, medium coarse-grained, light 
brown. 

Uses. — Valuable chiefly for wagon hubs, boat-building, cooperage, 
boxes, and furniture. 

Planted extensively as a shade tree. 

ULMUS FULVA, Michx. Slippery Elm. Red Elm. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Banks of streams and low rich rocky hillsides in deep fertile 
soil; comparatively common from the valley of the St. Law- 
rence river through Ontario to North Dakota, eastern Nebraska, 
and northern and western Kansas, and southward to western 
Florida, central Alabama and Mississippi, and the valley of the 
San Antonio river, Texas. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Distributed locally. Found in 
the following counties : 

Barbour, Braxton, Clay, Fayette, Grant, Mingo, ]\Ionon- 
galia, Pocahontas, Putnam, Roane, Tyler, Upshur, and Wet- 
zel. Not found at high elevations. 

Wood. — Hard, heavy, close-grained, durable, dark brown. 

Uses. — Wood used in wheels, agricultural implements, handles, 
fencing, ties, poles, etc. Inner bark used as a medicine. 



398 



THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 



CELTIS OCCIDENTALIS, L. Hackberry. Sugarberry. 

"Hoop Ash." 

Geographic Distribution. 

Valley of the St. Lawrence river near Montreal, westward to 
southern Ontario, and "in the United States from the shores of 
Massachusetts Bay to northwestern Nebraska, North Dakota, 
southern Idaho, eastern Washington and Oregon, western 
Washington, Nevada, New Mexico, and southward to the shores 
of Bay Biscayne and Cape Romano, Florida, and to Missouri 
and eastern Texas; rare east of the Hudson river, more abund- 
ant in western New York and the middle states, and of its 
largest size on the rich bottom-lands of the lower Ohio basin; 
growing usually in rich moist soil and often, especially in the 
east, on dry gravelly or rocky hillsides; west of the Rocky 
Mountains, a small tree or shrub rarely 30 feet high, with 
thick rigid scabrous reticulate leaves, exceedingly rare and 
only on the banks of streams. 



Distrihution in West Virginia. — Found as follows : 

Boone : few trees at Madison. 

Braxton : near Burnsville. 

Grant: on Lunice creek. 

Hampshire: near Romney. 

Hardy: common at Moorefield. 

Jefferson: near Harpers Ferry. 

Kanawha: near Charleston. 

Logan: at Logan Court House. 

Monongalia: common near Morgantown. 

Tyler : near Middlebourne (large trees). 

Upshur: northern end (rare). 
Reported by Millspaugh from Fayette and Jackson. 
Wood. — Soft, coarse-grained, not strong, light yellow. 
Uses. — Fencing, cheap furniture, agricultural implements, coop- 
erage, boxes, and rough construction. 



MORUS RUBRA, L. Red Mulberry. 



Geographic Distribution. 

Intervales in rich soil and on low hills; western Massachu- 
setts, Connecticut, and Long Island to southern Ontario and 
central Michigan, southeastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, and 
southward to the shores of Bay Biscayne and Cape Romano, 
Florida, and to the valley of the Colorado river, Texas; most 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



399 



abundant and of its largest size in the basin of the lower Ohio 
river and on the foothills of the southern Appalachian moun- 
tains. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Frequent throughout the State; 
found in scattered growth in every county, but nowhere 
abundant. 

Wood. — Light, soft, medium close-grained, very durable, light 
orange. 

Uses. — Especially valuable for fence posts. Used sometimes for 
handles, cooperage, and agricultural implements. Often 
left standing or planted for shade and for the edible ber- 
ries. 

MAGNOLIA ACUMINATA, L. Cucumber-tree. Mountain 

jMagnolia. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Low mountain slopes and rocky banks of streams; western 
New York, westward through southern Ontario to southern 
Illinois, and southward along the Appalachian mountains to 
southern Alabama, central Kentucky and Tennessee and north- 
eastern Mississippi, and in northeastern, southern and south- 
western Arkansas; rare at the north; most abundant and of its 
largest size in the narrow valleys at the base of the high moun- 
tains of the Carolinas and Tennessee. 

.Distribution in West Virginia. — Scattered among other hard 
woods throughout the State. Most plentiful in the narrow 
rich valleys and slopes of the mountainous and high hilly 
sections. 

'Wood. — Light, soft, durable, light yellow. 
Uses. — ^Valuable wood for interior finish, kitchen furniture, 
shelving, pumps, and pulp. 

MAGNOLIA TRIPETALA, L. Umbrella-tree. Elkwood. 

"Wahoo." 

^Geographic Distribution. 

Deep rather moist rich soil along the banks of mountain 
streams and the margins of swamps, and widely distributed in 
the Appalachian mountain region, but nowhere very common; 
valley of the Susquehanna river, Pennsylvania, to southern AI- 



400 



THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 



abama, middle Kentucky and Tennessee, northern Mississippi^ 
and in central and southwestern Arkansas, extending in the 
south Atlantic states nearly to the coast; of its largest size in 
the valleys along the western slopes of the Great Smoky moun- 
tains in Tennessee. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Found as follows: 
Boone : near Madison. 
Braxton : on Elk river. 
Fayette : on New river. 
Kanawha: near Charleston. 
Logan: common on Island creek. 
McDowell : frequent along Tug Fork. 
Mingo : common. 
Nicholas: near Curtin. 

Randolph: Middle Fork and Buckhannon rivers. 

Ealeigh : near Beckley. 

Upshur: Sago and Selbyville. 

Webster: Holly river. 

Wyoming: frequent. 
Wood. — Light, soft, close-grained, not durable. 
Uses. — A small tree of no commercial value here. 

MAGNOLIA FRASERI, Walt. Mountain Magnolia. Long- 
leaved Cucumber-tree. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Valleys of the streams of the southern Appalachian moun- 
tains from southwestern Virginia to northern Georgia and Ala- 
Lama, eastern Tennessee and northern Mississippi; probably 
most abundant and of its largest size on the upper waters of 
the Savannah river in South Carolina. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Infrequent. Scattered through 
the mountainous parts of Clay, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Ran- 
dolph, L^pshur, and Webster. Found growing at elevation 
3,500 feet on head of North Fork of Cherry river in Po- 
cahontas. 

Reported by Millspaugh from* Summers and Mercer. 
Wood. — Light, soft, close-grained, not durable. 
Uses. — Small tree, used only for minor domestic purposes. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



401 



LIRIODENDRON TULIPIFERA, L. Yellow Poplar. 

Tulip-tree. 

Geographic Disirihution. 

Deep rich moist soil on the intervales of streams or on moun- 
tain slopes; Rhode Island to southwestern Vermont, and west- 
ward to the southern shores of Lake Michigan, southward to 
northern Florida, southern Alabama and Mississippi, and in 
southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas; most abund- 
ant and of its largest size in the valleys of the lower Ohio 
basin, and on the lower slopes of the high mountains of North 
Carolina and Tennessee. 

Distribution in Yiest Virginia. — A common timber tree in nearly 
all parts of the State. Most plentiful and largest on the 
waters of Great Kanawha and southward. Once abundant 
throughout the whole western and central sections below 
the spruce belt. Least abundant in Pendleton and other 
counties drained by the Potomac waters. 

Wood. — ^Soft, light, easily worked, not strong, durable heartwood, 
light yellow. 

Uses. — A very valuable tree. Wood used for building purposes, 
furniture, veneer, shingles, fencing, pulp, and for many 
other purposes. 

ASIMINA TRILOBA, Dunal. Pav^rpaw. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Deep rich moist soil; western New Jersey to the northern 
shores of Lake Ontario, and eastern central Pennsylvania, west- 
ward to southern Michigan, eastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, 
and southward to middle Florida, and to the valley of the Sabine 
river, Texas; comparatively rare in the region adjacent to the 
Atlantic seaboard; very common in the Mississippi valley, 
forming the thick forest undergrowth on rich bottom-lands, or 
thickets many acres in extent. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Common. Scattered groves 
throughout the State. Rather infrequent in the mountain- 
ous counties and absent from the spruce belt, and adjacent 
highlands. 

Wood. — Soft, light, weak, coarse-grained, light yellow. 

Uses. — Of little value for its wood. Groves of trees often pre- 
served for the luscious and wholesome fruit. 
26 



402 



THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 



SASSAFRAS SASSAFRAS, Karst. Sassafras. 



Geographic Distribution. 

Usually in rich sandy well-drained soil, southern Maine and 
eastern Massachusetts, through southern Vermont, southern 
Ontario, central Michigan, and southeastern Iowa to eastern 
Kansas and the Indian Territory, and southward to central 
Florida and the valley of the Brazos river, Texas; in the south 
Atlantic and Gulf states often taking possession of abandoned 
fields. 



Distribution in West Virginia. — Abundant, usually on thin dry 
land. Distributed throughout the State except at high al- 
titudes. 

Wood. — Soft, brittle, coarse-grained, durable, dull yellow. 
Uses. — Not valuable. Occasionally used for minor purposes. Oil 
of sassafras distilled from bark and roots. 



LIQUIDAMBAR STYRACIFLUA, L. Sv^eet Gum. Bilsted. 



Geographic Distribution. 

Fairfield county, Connecticut, to southeastern Missouri, south- 
ward to Cape Canaveral and the shores of Tampa Bay, Florida, 
and through Arkansas and Indian Territory to the valley of 
the Trinity river, Texas, reappearing on the mountains of cen- 
tral and southern Mexico and on the highlands of Guatemala; 
in the maritime region of the south Atlantic states and in the 
basin of the lower Mississippi river one of the most common 
trees of the forest, covering rich river-bottom lands usually in- 
undated every year; in the northern and middle states on the 
borders of swamps and low wet swales; at the north rarely 
more than 60 to 70 feet tall, with a trunk usually not more 
than 2 feet in diameter. 



Distribution in West Virginia. — A rare tree. Distributed prin- 
cipally along streams in the follov^ing counties: 

Clay : common along Elk river from a short distance above 

Clay to the Kanav^ha county line. 
Fayette : large trees found at Sewell station. 
Kanav^ha- plentiful along north side of Kanav^ha river at 

Charleston and frequent along the Great Kanav^ha 

and Elk above Charleston. 
Mingo : scattered trees along Tug Fork of Big Sandy a few 

miles above Williamson. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SUHVEY. 



403 



Nicholas: on Peters creek up 10 miles from its mouth; on 
Laurel creek; on Otter creek; on Twentymile creek, 
through Grant and Jefferson districts ; and on Gauley 
river below the mouth of Peters creek. 

Keported from Summers on New and Greenbrier rivers; 
Roane, on Pocatalico river; Jackson, on Mill creek; 
Gilmer, near Glenville ; and Cabell, near Huntington. 
Wood. — Heavy, hard, close-grained, reddish brown. 
Uses. — Not commercially important in West Virginia. Wood 

used for boxes, house finish, etc. 



HAMAMELIS VIRGINIANA, L. Witch Hazel. 



Geographic Distrihution. 

Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the valley of the St. Law- 
rence river to southern Ontario, "Wisconsin and eastern Ne- 
braska, and southward to northern Florida and eastern Texas, 
growing usually on the borders of the forest in low rich soil 
or on the rocky banks of streams; of its largest size and prob- 
ably only arborescent on the slopes of the high Alleghany 
mountains in North and South Carolina and Tennessee. 

Vistrihution in ^yest Yirginia. — Small abundant tree, found 

throughout the State. 
Wood. — Heavy, very hard, close-grained. 

Uses. — Infrequently used for any purpose in West Virginia. 
Bark sometimes used as a medicine. 



PLATANUS OCCIDENTALIS, L. Sycamore. Buttonwood. 



Geographic Distrihution. 

Borders of streams and lakes on rich bottom-lands; south- 
eastern New Hampshire, northern Vermont and the northern 
shores of Lake Ontario, westward to eastern Nebraska and 
Kansas, and southward to northern Florida, central Alabama 
and Mississippi, and the valley of the Brazos river, and through 
Texas to the valley of the Devil's river, everywhere common, 
but most abundant and of its largest size on the bottom-lands 
of streams in the basin of the lower Ohio and Mississippi. 

Distrihution in West Virginia. — Common throughout the State 

along nearly all streams below 3,000 feet elevation. 
Wood. — Hard, close-grained, light-colored. 



404 THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 

Uses. — Now considered valuable. Wood used for interior finish, 
butcher blocks, furniture, tobacco boxes, etc. 

MALUS CORONARIA, Mill. Crab Apple. Fragrant Crab. 

Geographic Distrihution. 

Rich rather moist soil in forest glades, often forming wide 
thickets; less commonly on dry limestone hills; valley of the 
Humber river, Ontario, westward along the northern shores of 
Lake Erie, and southward through western New York and 
Pennsylvania to the District of Columbia, and along the Alle- 
ghany mountains to central Alabama, and westward to north- 
ern Missouri. 

Distrihution in West Virginia. — A common tree in most sections. 
Kare in Boone, Logan, Mingo, and other counties of the 
southwest. Abundant through the high hilly regions in 
the central and northern parts of the State. 

Several trees found growing near Morgantown, Monon- 
galia county, and near Terra Alta, Preston county, have 
larger, lighter-colored blossoms, larger and more rounded 
leaves, and more glossy fruits. 

Uses. — The hard, close-grained wood sometimes used for tool 
handles, mallets, etc. Tree prized for its fragrant blossoms. 

SORBUS AMERICANA, Marsh. Mountain Ash. 

Geographic Distrihution. ^ 

Borders of swamps and rocky hillsides; Newfoundland to 
Manitoba and southward through the maritime provinces of 
Canada, Quebec and Ontario, the elevated portions of the north- 
eastern United States and the region of the Great Lakes to the 
high mountains of Virginia and North Carolina; probably of 
its largest size on the northern shores of Lake Huron and 
Superior; in the United States, except in New England; more 
often a shrub than a tree; on the Alleghany mountains usu- 
ally low, with narrower leaflets and smaller fruit than north- 
ward. 

Distrihution in West Virginia. — Confined to high glades and 
mountains. Found at the following points : 
Pendleton : Spruce Imob and vicinity. 
Pocahontas: Cranberry Glades. 
Preston : Pine swamp near Cranesville. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



405 



Randolph: Osceola and Cheat Bridge. 
Tucker: near Davis. 

Reported from Grant county. 
Wood. — Soft, light, not strong, pale lemon. 

Uses. — Not valuable for timber. Wood used only occasionally 
for domestic purposes. Fruit sometimes used in prepar- 
ing home-made medicines. 



AMELANCHIER CANADENSIS, T. & G. Shad Bush. 
Service Berry. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Upland woods in rich soil; Newfoundland, through the mari- 
time provinces of Canada, and westward along the shores of the 
Great Lakes, ranging southward to northern Florida and west- 
ward to Minnesota, eastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, and 
southern Arkansas. 

Distrihidion in West Virginia. — Frequent throughout the State. 
Most plentiful in damp rich soils in the mountainous and 
high hilly sections. Least abundant in the low hill country 
back from the Ohio river. 

Wood. — Heavy, very hard, close-grained, brownish. 

Uses. — Wood occasionally used for tool handles and other small 
articles. Tree prized for its edible berries. 

CRAT^GUS CRUS-GALLI, L. Cockspur Thorn. 

GecgrapJiic Distribution. 

Usually on the slopes of low hills in rich soils; valley of the 
St. Lawrence river near Montreal, southward to Delaware and 
along the Appalachian foothills to North Carolina, and west- 
ward through v/estern New York and Pennsylvania to southern 
Michigan. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — One of the commonest haw- 
thorns. Found in abundance in Jefferson, Berkeley, 
Hampshire, Hardy, Upshur, Randolph, Webster, IMononga- 
lia, and Kanawha. 



406 



THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRGiNIA. 



CRAT^GUS PUNCTATA, Jacq. Large-fruited Thorn. 

Geographic Distrihution. 

Rich hillsides; valley of the Chateaugay river, Queheck, to 
the valley of the Detroit river, Ontario, southward through 
vrestern New England, and along the Appalachian mountains 
to northern Georgia, ascending in North Carolina and Tennessee 
nearly 6000 feet above the sea, T^^estward through New York and 
Ohio to southern Michigan and Illinois. 

Bistribuiion- in 'West Virginia. — Found as follows: 
Tucker : abundant in Canaan valley. 
Pocahontas: plentiful at Durbin and Cass. 
Randolph : covering wide areas in almost pure growth on 

Bickle Imob. 
Wetzel: near Jacksonburg. 
Webster: on Elk river near Addison. 



CRAT^GUS CORDATA, Ait. Washington Thorn. 



Geographic Distrihution. 

Banks of streams in rich soil; valley of the upper Potomac 
river, Virginia, southward in the foothill region of the Appa- 
lachian mountains to northern Georgia and Alabama, and west- 
ward through middle Tennessee and Kentucky to the valley of 
the lower Wabash river, Illinois, Osage, Missouri, and south- 
eastern Missouri to northwestern Arkansas; nowhere common. 



Distribution in West Yirginia. — Found at St. Albans, Kanawha 
eoimty. Eeported from Ronceverte, Greenbrier county. 



PRUNUS AMERICANA, Marsh. Wild Plum. 



Geographic Distribution. 

In the middle and northern states in rich soil, growing along 
the borders of streams and swamps, and often forming thickets 
of considerable extent; in the south Atlantic often in river 
swamps; west of the Mississippi river on bottom-lands and dry 
limestone uplands; middle and northern New Jersey, and cen- 
tral New York to Nebraska; the valley of the upper I^rissourl 
river in Montana, the eastern slopes of the Rocky ]\Iountain3 
of Colorado, and southward to the Chattahoochee region of 
western Florida, the valley of the Rio Grande in southern New 
Mexico, and the mountains of northern New Mexico: most 
abundant and of its largest size in southern Arkansas and east- 
ern Texas. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



407 



Distribution in West Virginia. — Borders of streams and glades. 

Thinly scattered over the State. 
Wood. — Heavy, close-grained, dark. 

Uses. — AYood very rarely used. Fruit often eaten raw or cooked. 

PRUNUS PENNSYLVANICA, L. Wild Red Cherry. 
"Bird Cherry." "Fire Cherry." 

Geographic Distrihution. 

Newfoundland to the shores of Hudson's Bay, and westward 
in British America to the eastern slopes of the Coast Range of 
British Columbia in the valley of the Frazer river, and south- 
ward through the northern states to Pennsylvania, central 
Michigan, northern Illinois, central Iowa, and to the high 
mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee and on the east- 
ern slopes of the Rocky mountains of Colorado; common in all 
the forest regions of the extreme northern states, growing in 
moist rather rich soils; often occupying to the exclusion of 
other trees large areas cleared by fire of the original forest 
covering; common and attaining its largest size on the western 
slopes of the Big Smoky mountains in Tennessee. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Frequent in burnt lands at 
high elevations. Less common on lower ground. Found 
in Grant, Pendleton, Preston, Monongalia, Tucker, Ean- 
dolph, Upshur, Webster, Pocahontas, Nicholas, and Green- 
brier. 

Wood. — Light, soft, close-grained, not durable. 

Uses. — Wood of little value. Profitable as a covering for burnt 
lands. 



PRUNUS SEROTINA, Ehrh. Wild Black Cherry. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Nova Scotia vrestward through the Canadian provinces to the 
northern shore of Lake Superior and southward through the 
eastern states to the shores of Matanzas Inlet and Tampa Bay, 
Florida, and westward to Dakota, eastern Nebraska and Kan- 
sas, the Indian Territory and eastern Texas; on the mountain 
ranges of western Texas, southern New Mexico and Arizona, 
and southward to Columbia and Peru; in the United States 
usually in rich moist soil; once very abundant in the Appa- 
lachian region, reaching its greatest size on the slopes of the 
high Allegany mountains from West Virginia to Georgia and 
Alabama; sometimes on low sandy soil, and often in New Eng- 



408 



THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST \TRGINIA. 



land on rocky cliffs within reach of the spray of the ocean; not 
common in the coast region of the southern states; in the 
southwest only in the bottoms of mountain canons at elevations 
of 5,000 feet to 7,000 feet above the level of the sea. 

Distrihiition in West Virginia. — A common timber tree in tlie 
mountains. Once grew in great abundance in rich plateaus 
and mountain coves and valleys in parts of Tucker, Ran- 
dolph, Barbour, Upshur, "Webster, Nicholas, Pocahontas, 
Greenbrier, and ]\Ionroe. Less plentiful and of smaller 
size in the hilly counties south of the Great Kanawha, 
throughout the whole western third of the State, and on 
the eastern side of the AUeghanies. 

Wood. — Light, strong, hard, close-grained, reddish. 

Uses. — Valuable for interior finish and furniture. 



CERCIS CANADENSIS, L. Redbud. Judas-tree. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Borders of streams and rich bottom-lands, forming, especially 
w^est of the Alleghany mountains, an abundant undergrowth to 
the forest; valley of the Delaware river, New Jerse3\ southward 
to the shores of Tampa Bay and to northern Alabama and 
Mississippi, and westvv-ard to southern Ontario, eastern Nebras- 
ka, the eastern borders of the Indian Territory, Louisiana, and 
the valley of the Brazos, Texas; and on the Sierra Lladre of 
Nuevo Leon; common and of its largest size in southwestern 
Arkansas, the Indian Territory and eastern Texas, and in early 
spring a conspicuous feature of the landscape. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Com^mon in most parts of the 
State, forming thickets along borders of fields and banks 
of streams. Listed in the following counties : 

Boone, Braxton, Clay, Fayette, Grant, Hampshire, Jeffer- 
son, Kanawha, Lewis, Logan, Mingo, IMonongalia, Fatnam, 
Eandolph^ Tyler, Upshur (rare), T>"etzel, Webster, and 
Wyoming. 

Wood. — Heavy, hard, weak, close-grained, reddish. 
Uses. — Seldom used for any purpose. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVTEY. 



409 



GLEDITSIA TRIACANTHOS, L. Honey Locust. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Borders of streams and intervale lands, in moist fertile soil, 
usually growing singly or occasionally covering almost exclu- 
sively considerable areas; less commonly on dry sterile gravelly 
hills; western slope of the Alleghany mountains of Pennsyl- 
vania, westward to Ontario and ^Michigan to southeastern Min- 
nesota, eastern Nebraska and Kansas, and the Indian Territory, 
and southward to northern Alabama and Mississippi and to the 
valley of the Brazos river, Texas; attaining its largest size in 
the valleys of small streams in southern Indiana and Illinois; 
now often naturalized in the region east of the Alleghany 
mountains. 

Distriljuiion in ^Test Virginia. — Rather infrequent, along 
streams on both sides of the Alleghanies. Found on the 
Bluestone at Spanishburg, ]\Iercer county; on the New 
river at Hinton, Summers county; on the Great Kanawha 
at Kanawha Falls, Fayette county; at Charleston on the 
Kanawha river, Kanawha county; on the Kanawha river 
near T\'infield. Putnam county; on the Little Coal river, 
near Madison, Boone county; on the Elk, near Clay, Clay 
county; near Webster Springs, Webster county; on the 
Little Kanawha, at a number of places from Glenville, Gil- 
mer county, to its mouth: on the Monongahela river near 
MorgantovTi, ^Monongalia county ; and on the South Branch 
of Potomac near Romney, Hampshire county. Frequently 
found also along Middle Island creek. Fish creek, Fishing 
creek and other tributaries of the Ohio. 

Wood. — Hard, strong, coarse-grained, reddish, very durable. 

Uses. — ^^"aluable for posts, cross-ties, hubs and spokes, and fuel. 

ROBINIA PSEUDACACIA, L. Locust. Acacia. Yellow 

Locust. 

Geograp Ji ic D is irih utio n. 

Slopes of the Appalachian mountains, Pennsylvania, to north- 
ern Georgia; now widely naturalized in most of the territory 
of the United States east of the Rocky :Mountains, and perhaps 
indigenous as a low shrub in northeastern and western Arkan- 
sas and in the Indian Territory; nowhere common; in the Ap- 
palachian forest growing singly or in small groups: most 
abundant and of its largest size on the western slopes of the 
Alleghanies of West Virginia; often spreading by underground 
stems into broad thickets of small and often sunted trees. 



41G 



THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 



Distribution in West .Virginia. — ^Widely distributed. Frequent 

in every county, grovring from the lowest elevations up to 

3,500 feet and over. 
Wood. — Hea^^^^, very hard, strong, durable, brownish with pale 

yellow sapwood. - 
Uses. — Very valuable for fence posts, ties, buggy hubs, pins, and 

bridge and ship timbers. 

The locust must be looked upon as an exceedingly valuable 
tree in West Virginia. It springs up in burnt lands, 
and cut-over areas, and in almost every locality where 
room is made for it to grow it thrives regardless of 
soils or exposures. Like other legumes it enriches the 
soil by adding nitrogen wherever it stands and it is a 
rapid grower, reaching a merchantable size within 25 
years or less. 

RHUS HIRTA, Sudw. Staghorn Sumach. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Usually on uplands in good soil, or less commonly on sterile 
gravelly banks and on the borders of streams and swamps; 
New Brunswick, through the valley of the St. Lawrence river 
to southern Ontario and Minnesota, and southward through the 
northern states and along the Alleghany mountains to northern 
Georgia and to central Alabama and Mississippi; more abund- 
ant on the Atlantic seaboard than in the region west of the Ap- 
palachian mountains. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — A small tree. Common through, 
out the State, and reaching higher altitudes than the small- 
er shrubby species of this genus. 

ILEX OPACA, Ait. Holly. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Coasts of Massachusetts, in the city of Quincy, southward 
generally near the coast to the shores of Mosquito Inlet and 
Charlotte Harbor, Florida, valley of the Mississippi river from 
southern Indiana to the Gulf of Mexico, and through IMissouri, 
Arkansas, and Louisiana to eastern Texas; rare and of small 
size east of the Hudson river and rare in the Alleghany moun- 
tain region and the country immediately west of it; most 
abundant and of its largest size on the bottom-lands of the 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



411 



streams of southern Arkansas and eastern Texas; at the north 
in dry rather gravelly soil often on margins of oak woods, 
southward on the borders of swampy river bottoms in rich 
humid soil. 

Distribution in We^ Virginia: 
Boone : near Madison. 
Braxton : near Sutton. 
Fayette: Kanawha Falls and Fayetteville. 
Logan : common near Logan. 
Mingo : near Williamson. 
McDowell: common. 
Nicholas : at Hichwood and Curtin. 
Eandolph: Roaring creek. 
Upshnr: waters of Buckhannon river, common. 
Webster: on Elk river. 
Wyoming: few. 

Rare east of the mountains and sparsely distributed 
through the low hilly counties along the Ohio river. 
Wood. — Light, close-grained, nearly white. 

Uses. — Wood used to a slight extent in cabinet making and in- 
terior finish. Branches and berries used for Christmas 
decoration. 

ACER SPICATUM, Lam. Mountain Maple. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Moist rocky hillsides usually in the shade of other trees, and 
really aborescent only on the western slopes of the high moun- 
tains of Tennessee and North Carolina; valley of the lower St. 
Lawrence river to northern Minnesota and the Saskatchewan, 
and southvv^ard to the northern slopes and along the Appalach- 
ian mountains to northern Georgia. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Found in Braxton, Grant, Poca- 
hontas, Monongalia, Preston, Pendleton, Randolph, Tucker, 
Upshur, and Webster. Grows from elevations of 850 feet 
in Monongalia to 4,800 feet in Pendleton. 

Wood. — Light, soft, close-grained. 

Uses. — Not used except for a few ordinary domestic purposes. 



412 



THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 



ACER PENNSYLVANICUM, L. Striped Maple. Moosewood. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Usually in the shade of other trees, often forming in north- 
ern New England a large part of their shrubby undergrowth; 
shores of Ha-Ha Bay, Quebeck, westward along the shores of 
Lake Ontario and the islands of Lake Huron to northeastern 
Minnesota, and southvvard through the Atlantic states and along 
the Appalachian mountains to northern Georgia; common in 
the north Atlantic states, especially in the interior and elevated 
regions; of its largest size on the slopes of the Big Smoky 
mountains, Tennessee, and of the Blue Ridge in South and 
North Carolina. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Found with, the foregoing spe- 
cies (Acer spicatum) but usually more abundant and in 
more shady situations. 

Wood. — Light, soft, coarse-grained. Not often used. 

ACER SACCHARUM, Marsh. Sugar Maple. Rock Maple. 

(xeoaraphic Distribution. 

From southern Newfoundland to northern Georgia and west- 
ern Florida, and west to Minnesota, eastern Nebraska, eastern 
Kansas, and eastern Texas. Most abundant in Minnesota, Wis- 
consin, Michigan, New York, and Maine, and on the Appalach- 
ian slopes. In the northern pine belt the principal forest tree 
forming often 25 to 75 per cent of the total stand. Associated 
species are beech, yellow birch, white pine, red pine, white 
spruce, red spruce, balsam fir, v»'hite birch, and red maple. 
Farther south it is found in mixture with nearly all the hard- 
woods. (Forest Service Circular 95.) 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Found in every county. Super- 
ior on the elevated flats and in the rich coves along the 
AUeghanies from Tucker to Greenbrier and Monroe. 
Abundant in the high hilly ^sections just west of the moun- 
tains. 

Wood. — Strong, hard, heavy, close-grained, reddish. 
Uses. — ^Valuable for interior finish and furniture. This is the 
principal tree from which sap is taken for sugar making. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



ACER NIGRUM, Michx. Black Maple. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Valley of the St. Lawrence river in the neighborhood of Mon- 
treal, southward to the valley of the Cold river, New Hamp- 
shire, through western Vermont, and westward through north- 
ern New York, Ontario, and the southern peninsula of Michi- 
gan, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa, to northeastern South Dakota, 
western Missouri, eastern Kansas, and southward through 
western New York and Pennsylvania to southwestern Virginia 
and Kentucky; comparatively rare near Montreal and in Ver- 
mont, more abundant farther west, almost entirely replaced by 
Acer saccharum in Iowa, and the only sugar maple of South 
Dakota. 

Distribution in West Yirginia. — Less common and nsiially on 
lower and more moist land than sugar maple. Found as 
follows : 

Lewis : plentiful along the West Fork river at Weston. 
Monongalia : common near MorgantoAvn. 
Tyler : on Middle Island creek near Middlebourne. 
Webster : few trees on Elk river above Webster Springs. 
Wetzel: near Jaeksonburg. 
Uses. — Wood similar to and used for the same purpose as the 
foregoing species — A. saccharum. 

ACER SACCHARINUM, L. Silver Maple. Soft Maple. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Sandy banks of streams; valley of the St. John's river, New 
Brunswick, to southern Ontario, southward to western Florida, 
and westward to eastern Dakota and Nebraska, the valley of 
the Blue river, Kansas, and the Indian Territory; rare in the 
immediate neighborhood of the Atlantic coast and on the high 
Appalachian mountains; of its largest size on the banks of the 
lower Ohio and its tributaries. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Closely confined to the borders 
of the larger streams at low elevations. Found on the 
South Branch of Potomac from a point between Moore- 
field and Petersburg to its mouth near Green Spring sta- 
tion ; on the Potomac and its North Branch from Harpers 
Ferry to a point some distance above Keyser ; on the New 
river at Hinton ; on the Great Kanawha at Kanawha Falls, 



414 THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 

Charleston and Winfield; on the Elk from Turner station 
to Charleston ; on the Little, Coal at Madison ; on the Tug 
Fork of Big Sandy at Williamson ; on the Little Kanawaa 
near Elizabeth; on the Monongahela at Morgantown; and 
on the Ohio at Wheeling, Parkersburg, Point Pleasant, and 
other points. 

Wood. — Hard, rather brittle, easily worked, close-grained, 
brownish. 

Uses. — Wood used for flooring, boxes, crates, and for numerous 
small household articles. Tree often planted for shade and 
ornament. 



ACER RUBRUM, L. Red Maple. Scarlet Maple. 

Geographic Distrihiition. 

Borders of streams, low wet swamps, and rarely on hillsides; 
latitude 49 degrees north in Quebeck and Ontario, southward to 
the Indian and Caloosa rivers, Florida and westward to west- 
ern Wiconsin, western Iowa, and the valley of the Trinity river, 
Texas; one of the most common and generally distributed trees 
of eastern North America; most abundant in the south, espe- 
cially in the valley of the Mississippi river, and of its largest 
size in the river swamps of the lower Ohio and its larger tribu- 
taries; at the north often covering low wet swamps almost to 
the exclusion of other trees. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Occurs in all parts of the State, 
Not frequent in the counties east of the Alleghany moun- 
tains. 

Wood. — Medium heavy, close-grained, soft, light brown. 
Uses. — Furniture, chairs, gun stocks, woodenware. 



ACER NEGUNDO, L. Box Elder. Ash-leaved Maple. 

Geograpliic Distribution. 

Banks of streams and lakes and the borders of swamps; 
western Vermont and central New York, southward to northern 
Florida and westward to the eastern slope of the Rocky Moun- 
tains, and to Utah, New Mexico, and eastern Arizona; rare east 
of the Appalachian mountains; most common in the Mississippi 
basin, and of its largest size in the valley of the lower Ohio 
river. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



415 



Distribution in West Virginia. — Confmed to banks of streams. 
Not widely distributed. Found as follows : 

Boone : few trees along Big and Little Coal rivers. 

Braxton : on Little Kanawha river at Burnsville. 

Doddridge: common along Middle Island creek. 

Fayette: common at Kanawha Falls. 

Lewis : plentiful on West Fork at Weston. 

Monongalia: plentiful on Monongahela at Morgantown. 

Tyler: on Middle Island creek near Middlebourne. 
Wood. — Light, close-grained, soft, nearly white. 
Uses. — Wood used for cheap furniture, woodenware and pulp. 

Often planted for shade. 

iESCULUS GLABRA, Willd. Ohio Buckeye. Fetid Buckeye. 

Geographic Distribution. 

River-bottoms and the banks of streams in rich moist soil; 
western slopes of the Alleghany mountains, Pennsylvania to 
northern Alabama, and westward to southern Iowa, central 
Kansas, Indian Territory, southern Nabraska and eastern 
Kansas; nowhere abundant; most common and of its largest 
size in the valley of the Tennessee river in Tennessee and 
northern Alabama. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Not frequent. Found along the 
Ohio river near Wheeling, Ohio county. Reported by 
Millspaugh from Wirt, Gilmer, and Monongalia, and as 
common along the Ohio river. 

Wood. — Light, soft, close-grained, nearly white. 

Uses. — Not commercially valuable in West Virginia. Wood used 
in some states for woodenware, paper pulp, and occasional- 
ly sawed into lumber. 

^SCULUS OCTANDRA, Marsh. Street Buckeye. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Rich soil of river-bottoms and moist mountain slopes, Alle- 
gheny county, Pennsylvania, and southward along the moun- 
tains to the neighborhood of Augusta, Georgia, and northern 
Alabama, and westward to southern Iowa, the Indian Territory 
and western Texas; most common and of its largest size on 
the high mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina. 



416 



THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 



Distribution in West Virginia. — Found in Barbour, Boone^ 
Braxton, Calhoun, Doddridge, Fayette, Kanawha, Lewis, 
Logan, Llarshall, Mingo, ]\Ionongalia, Monroe, Pocahontas^ 
Putnam, Ritchie, Summers, Tyler, Upshur, Webster, and 
Wyoming. 

Variety, hy'brida, Sarg. occurs more frequently than any 
other. 

Wood. — Light, soft, close-grained, weak, nearly white. 
Uses. — Wood used as in the preceding species of this genus. 

TILIA AMERICANA, L. Linden. Bass Wood 

Geographic Bistrih ution. 

Ricli often moist soil, formerly often in mostly pure forests; 
northern New Brunswick to the eastern shores of Lake Super- 
ior, and northwestward to the southern shores of Lake Winni- 
peg and the valley of the Assiniboine river, and south in the 
United States to Virginia, along the Appalachian mountains to 
Georgia and Alabama, and to eastern Dakota, eastern Kansas, 
Nebraska, the Indian Territory, and Texas; more common 
northward than southward, and of its largest size on the bot- 
tom-lands of the tributaries of the lower Ohio river. 

Distrihution in West Virginia. — Found at Cranberry Glades, 
Pocahontas county. Probably occurs with the following 
species, but less frequently, in many parts of the State. 

Wood. — Light, soft, light brown. 

Uses. — Woodenware, pulpwood, cheap furniture, excelsior, etc. 
TILIA HETEROPHYLLA, Vent. Linden. Bee-tree. 

Geographic Distriljution. 

Rich wooded slopes in moist soil or near the banks of 
streams; often on limestone; near Ithaca, New York, south- 
ward along the Appalachian mountains to northern Alabama, 
and westvrard to middle Tennessee, Kentucky, and southern 
Indiana and Illinois; most abundant and of its largest size on 
the high mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — A common tree in L'pshur, Ran- 
dolph, Tucker, Hampshire, Hardy, Grant, Braxton, Lewis, 
Webster, Nicholas, Roane, Fayette, Kanawha. Gilmer, 
Monongalia, Marshall, and in several other counties. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 417 

Uses. — Wood similar to and used for the same as that of the pre- 
ceding species. 

ARALIA SPINOSA, L. Hercules' Club. 

Geographic Distrihution. 

Deep moist soil in the neighborhood of streams; western 
slope of the Alleghany mountains, Pennsylvania, to southern 
Indiana and southeastern Missouri, and southward to northern 
Florida, western Louisiana and eastern Texas; probably of its 
largest size on the foothills of the Big Smoky mountains in 
Tennessee. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Common, often on dry burnt 
lands, west of the mountains. Found in the following 
counties: Fayette, Marshall, Monongalia, Nicholas, Ran- 
dolph, Tucker, Upshur, and Webster. 

Uses. — Of little commercial value. Bark, roots, and berries 
someties used in medicine. 

NYSSA SYLVATICA, Marsh. Tupelo. Pepperidge. 
"Black Gum." 

Geographic Distrihution. 

Borders of swamps in wet imperfectly drained soil, and south- 
ward often on high wooded mountain slopes; valley of the Ken- 
nebec river, Maine, to southern Ontario, central Michigan, and 
southeastern Missouri, and southward to the shores of Kissi- 
mee river and Tampa Bay, Florida, and to the valley of the 
Brazos river, Texas; of its largest size on the southern Appa- 
lachian mountains. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — A common tree throughout the 
State. Least frequent in the high mountains and in the 
counties east of the AUeghanies. 

Wood. — Hea\^, tough, medium coarse-grained, light yellow. 

Uses. — Wood used for wheel hubs, ladders, mallets, wagon beds, 
piles, and rough flooring. 



27 



418 



THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 



CORNUS FL.ORIDA, L. Flowering Dogwood. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Usually under the shade of taller trees in rich well-drained 
soil; eastef-n Massachusetts to southern Ontario and southern 
Kansas, and southward to central Florida and the valley of 
the Brazos river, Texas; and on the mountains of northern 
Mexico; comparatively rare at the north; one of the commonest 
and most generally distributed inhabitants of the deciduous- 
leaved forests of the middle and southern states, ranging from 
the coast nearly to the summits of the high Alleghany moun- 
tains. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Frequent in all parts of the 
State. 

Wood. — Heavy, close-grained, hard, brownish. 
Uses. — Valuable for domestic purposes. Used for gluts, levers, 
handles, etc. 

CORNUS ALTERNIFOLIA, L. Alternate-leaved Dogwood. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Rich woodlands, the margins of the forest, and on the bor- 
ders of streams and swamps, in moist well-drained soil; New 
Brunswick and Nova Scotia, westward along the valley of the 
St. Lawrence river to the northern shores of Lake Superior 
and to Minnesota, and southward through the northern states 
and along the Alleghany mountains to northern Georgia and 
Alabama. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Found along the Alleghany 
mountains and westward throughout the State. Infrequent 
on the east. 

Uses. — ^Used only occasionally for minor domestic purposes. 

OXYDENDRUM ARBOREUM, DC. Sorrel-tree. Sour 
Wood. *'Sour Gum." 

Geographic Distribution. 

Well-drained gravelly soil on ridges rising above the banks 
of streams; southern Pennsylvania to southern Indiana and 
middle Tennessee, and southward to the coast of Virginia and 
along the Alleghany mountains to western Florida, the shor'^s 
of Mobile Bay, and through the elevated regions of the Gulf 
states to western Louisiana; of its largest size on the western 
slopes of the Big Smoky mountains, Tennessee. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



419 



Distribution in West Virginia. — A small tree found frequently 
in all sections west of the Alleghany mountains. Rare in 
the eastern counties. 

Uses. — The hard, heavy, close-grained wood is sometimes used 
for handles, bean poles, and for other minor domestic pur- 
poses. 

DIOSPYROS VIRGINIANA, L. Persimmon. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Light sandy well-drained soil, or in the Mississippi basin 
sometimes on the deep rich river-hottoms; Lighthouse Point, 
New Haven, Connecticut, southward to the banks of Caloosa 
river and the shores of Bay Biscayne, Florida, southern Ala- 
bama and Mississippi, and from southern Ohio to southeastern 
Iowa, southern Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, eastern Kan- 
sas, the Indian Territory, and the valley of the Colorado river, 
Texas; very common in the south Atlantic and Gulf states, of- 
ten covering with shrubby growth by means of its stoloniferous 
roots abandoned fields, and springing up by the sides of roads 
and fences. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Frequent on low lands through- 
out the State. Probably most abundant in the valleys of 
the several larger tributaries of the Potomac. 

Uses.- — The heavy, strong, dark wood infrequently used. ]\Ianu- 
factured in some states into plane stocks, shoe lasts, and 
other small articles. Fruit edible in late fall and winter. 

MOHRODE^DRON CAROLINUM, Britt. Silver Bell Tree. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Rich wooded slopes and banks of streams; mountains of West 
Virginia to southern Illinois, and southward to middle Florida, 
central Alabama and Missippi, and through Arkansas to west- 
ern Louisiana and eastern Texas; most abundant in the ele- 
vated Appalachian region, and of its largest size on the west- 
ern slopes of the high mountains of North Carolina and Ten- 
nessee. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Rare. Grows plentifully along 
the Great Kanawha and New rivers from the eastern end 
of Kanawha county through Fayette and into Summers 
county, reaching in West Virginia the northern limit of 



420 



THE NATIVE TREES OP WEST VIRGINIA. 



its distribution. Farther south the tree grows to a large 
size (3 feet), but in this State none were observed more 
than 8 inches in diameter. 

FRAXINUS NIGRA, Marsh. Black Ash. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Deep cold swamps and the low banks of streams and lakes; 
southern Newfoundland and the northern shores of the Gulf of 
St. Lawrence to Lake Winnipeg, and southward to New Castle 
county, Delaware, the mountains of Virginia, southern Illinois, 
central Missouri, and southwestern Arkansas. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Infrequent. Growing in damp 

ground. Found at the following places: 

Fayette : one or two trees near Kanawha Falls. 

Preston : few trees in glade at Cranesville. 

Tucker: rather common in Canaan Valley. 

Reported by Millspaugh from Randolph, Webster, Sum- 
mers, Monongalia, and Wirt counties. 
Wood. — Soft, coarse-grained, durable. 

Uses. — Wood used for interior finish, furniture, cooperage, and 
baskets. 

FRAXINUS AMERICANA, L. White Ash. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Common in rich rather moist soil on low hills, and in the 
neighborhood of streams; Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and 
southern Ontario to northern Minnesota, southward to northern 
Florida, central Alabama and Mississippi, and westward to 
eastern Nebraska and Kansas, the Indian Territory, and the 
valley of the Trinity river, Texas; of its largest size on the 
bottom-lands of the basin of the lower Ohio river; southward 
and west of the Mississippi river less common and of smaller 
size. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Found throughout the State 
but infrequent in some of the counties bordering the Ohio 
river in the northwest and in the eastern Panhandle. 

Wood. — Hea\^, strong, close-grained, light-colored. 

Uses. — A valuable wood for interior finish, furniture, agricul- 
tural machinery, handles, vehicles, etc. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



421 



FRAXINUS PENNSYLVANICA, var. LANCEOLATA. 
Sarg. Green Ash. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Banks of streams; shore of lake Champlain through the Ap- 
palachian region to western Florida, and west to the valley of 
the Saskatchewan, the valley of the Colorado river, Texas, the 
eastern range of the Rocky Mountains, the Wasatch Range, 
Utah, and the mountains of eastern and northern Arizona, com- 
paratively rare east of the Alleghany mountains; most abund- 
ant in the Mississippi basin, often covering the banks of 
streams flowing east from the Rocky mountains, and w^estward 
only in elevated canons; in the region east of the Mississippi 
river appearing distinct, but w^estward connected with the red 
ash by intermediate forms, equally referable to either tree. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Frequent. Found in Upshur, 
Eandolph, Kanawha, Putnam, and several other counties 
"West of the AUeghanies. Infrequent in the east. 

CHIONANTHUS VIRGINICA, L. Fringe-tree. Old Man's 

Beard. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Banks of streams in moist soil; Lancaster and Chester coun- 
ties, southern Pennsylvania, to the shores of Tampa Bay, Flor- 
ida, and through the Gulf states to southern Arkansas and the 
valley of the Brazos river, Texas, 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Rare. Found near Peterstown, 
Monroe county. Said to grow sparingly in Summers, Clay, 
and Putnam counties. 

Reported by Millspaugh from Jackson, Fayette, and IMo- 
nongalia. 

Wood. — Hard, hea^^, close-grained, light bro"\:Mi. 
Uses. — Bark used sometimes in medicine. Often planted as a 
shade tree. 

VIBURNUM LENTAGO, L. Sheepberry. Nannyberry. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Rocky hillsides, along the borders of forests, or near the 
banks of streams and the margins of swamps, in moist soil; 
valley of the Riviere du Loup, province of Quebeck. to Sas- 
katchewan, and southw^ard through the northern states to 



422 THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRQINIA. 

southern Indiana, and along the Alleghany mountains to 

northern Georgia, and to eastern Kansas and Nebraska, South 
Dakota and the Big Horn Mountains to Wyoming; in northern 
New England frequently springing up in fence-rows and along 
the margins of roadsides. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — Infrequent. Found only in the 
two following counties : 
Tucker: in Canaan Valley. 
Grant : on Abram creek. 

Keported by Millspaugh from Point mountain, Randolph 
county. 

VIBURNUM PRUNIFOLIUM, L. Black Haw. Stag Bush. 

Geographic Distribution. 

Dry rocky hillsides, and fence-rows and the sides of roads; 
Fairfield county, Connecticut, and the valley of the lower Hud- 
son river, New York, southward along the Alleghanies to north- 
ern Georgia, and westward to southern Missouri. 

Distribution in West Virginia. — A common small tree. Found 
in Fayette, Gilmer, Grant, Hampshire, Lewis, Mingo, Mo- 
nongalia, Summers, Tyler, Upshur, Webster, and Wetzel 
counties. Doubtless occurs in most of the other counties. 

LIST OF NATIVE SHRUBS AND SHRUBBY VINES. 

Taxus canadensis, Marsh. American Yew. Ground Hemlock. 

A rare red-berried evergreen. Randolph: Glady; Poca- 
hontas: Cranberry Glades and Winterburn; Grant: 
Greenland Gap ; Preston : Cranesville ; Raleigh : 
Piney river. 
Salix cordata, Muhl. Heart-leaved Willow. 

Monongalia: Aarons run, near Morgantown. 
Salix sericea, Marsh. Silky Willow. 

Monongalia: Deckers creek. 
Myrica asplenifolia, L. Sweet Fern. * 
Hampshire. Cacapon creek. Rare. 
Corylus americana, Walt. Hazelnut. 
A common shrub. 



, WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 423 

Corylus rostrata, Ail. Beaked Hazelnut. 

Pocahontas: Cranberry mountain; Mercer: Bluestone 

river ; Hampshire : Little Cacapon. 
Alnus rugosa, (Du Roi) Spreng. Smooth Alder. 

Abundant along streams. 
Alnus incana, (L.) Moench. Hoary Alder (?). Rare. Pocahontas: 

Cranberry Glades. 
Pyrularia pub era, Michx. Oil-nut, Buffalo-nut. ''Colic-nut." 

Common in many sections. 
Phoradendron flavescens, (Pursh) Nutt. American Mistletoe. 

Evergreen parasite. On trees along southern rivers. 
Aristolochia macrophylla, Lam. Pipe Vine. Dutchman's Pipe. 

Woody vine. Frequent in rich mountain forests. 
Zanthorhiza apiifolia, L'Her. Shrub Yellow-root. 

Small shrub on banks of streams. Upshur : near Buckhan- 
non ; Webster : on Gauley river near Bolair. 
Berheris Canadensis, Mill. American Barberry. 

Southern part of the State. Mercer: near Spanishburg. 
Benzoin aestivale, (L.) Nees. Spice-bush. Benjamin-bush. 

Abundant shrub. 
Hydrangea arhorescens, L. Wild Hydrangea. 

Abundant throughout the State. 
Rihes Cynoshati, L. Prickly Gooseberry. 

Common in rocky woods. 
Rihes rotundi folium, Michx. Eastern Wild Gooseberry. 

Pendleton : Spruce mountain. 

Rihes prostratum, L'Her. Fetid Currant. 

Rare. Pendleton : Spruce knob. 
Physocarpus opulifolius, (L.) Maxim. Nine-bark. 

Common shrub. 
Spiraea salicifolia, L. Meadow-sweet. 

Pocahontas : Cranberry Glades ; Randolph : Elkins. 
Spiraea tomentosa, L. Hard-hack, Steeple-bush. 

Infrequent. Randolph: Elkins; Pocahontas: Seebert. 
Pyrus melanocarpa, (Michx.) Willd. Black Chokeberry. 

Frequent, in many sections. 



424 THE NATI\'E TREES OF WEST ^^RGINIA. 

Amelanchier oUgocarpa, (Michx.) Eoem. (?) Oblong-frnited 
Juneberry. 

Rare. Pocahontas : Cranberry Glades. 
Rosa Carolina, L. Swamp Rose. 

Common in marshy places. 
Rosa liumilis, Marsh. Low or Pasture Rose. 

Frequent in dry fields. 
Primus Virginiana, L. Choke Cherry. 

Rare. Pocahontas : Cranberry Glades. 
Zanthoxylum americamim, Mill. Northern Prickly Ash. 

Monongalia : Lick run. 
Rhus copallina, L. Dwarf Sumach. 

Frequent. 

Rhus vernix, L: Poison Dogwood. Poison Sumach. 

Rare. Randolph: near Elkins; Webster: near Cowen. 
Rhus glabra, L. Smooth Sumach. 

Common throughout the State. 
Rhus canadensis, Marsh. Fragrant Sumach. 

Infrequent. Hampshire: Little Cacapon. 
Rhus Toxicodenclro7i var. radicans, L. Torr. Poison Ivy, Poison 

Oak. 

Abundant throughout the State. 
Ilex monticola, Gray. Large-leaved Holly. 

A rather common shrub. 
Ilex verticillata, Gray. Black Alder. Winterberry. 

Abundant in low grounds along rivers and in glades. 
Nemopanthus mucronata, (L.) Trel. Wild or Mountain Holly. 

Rare. Pendleton: Spruce knob; Preston: Cranesville; 
Pocahontas : head of Greenbrier river. 

Evonymus atropurpureus, Jacq. Burning Bush, Wahoo, 

Boone : near Madison ; Monongalia : near Morgantown, Up- 
shur : near Buckhannon. 

Evonymus americanus, L. Strawberry Bush. 
A common shrub. 

Celastrus scandens, L. Waxwork. Climbing Bitter-sweet. 
Frequent along streams and on dry hills. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGIC^Uj SURVEY. 



425 



Staphylea triloba, L. American Bladder Nut. 

Not common. Monongalia: near Morgantown; Wayne: 
near Wayne; Lewis: near Weston; Greenbrier: near 
Ronceverte. 

Rhamnus lanceolata, Pursh. Lance-l^aved Buckthorn. 

Rare. Hampsliire : Little Cacapon. 
Bhamnus alnifolia, L'Her. Dwarf Alder. 

Rare. Pocahontas : head east Fork of Greenbrier river. 
Ceanotlius americanus, L. New Jersey Tea. 

Common on dry gravelly ground. ■ 
Vitis labrusca, L. Northern Fox Grape. 

Infrequent. Upshur : French creek ; Monroe : Sinks Grove. 
Vitis aestivalis, Michx. Summer Grape. Frost Grape. 

Abundant in most sections. 
Vitis cordifolia, ]\Iichx. Chicken Grape. Pigeon Grape. 

A common grape. 
Hypericum prolificum, L. Shrubby St. John 's-wort. 

Plentiful in glady regions. 
Hypericum densiflorum, Pursh. St. John 's-wort. Glades. 
Dirca palustris, L, Leatherwood. Wicopy. 

Infrequent. Webster: near Webster Springs; Randolph: 
Tygarts Valley river near Valley Head ; Pocahontas : 
on Greenbrier river. 
Corniis canadensis, L. Dwarf Cornel. Bunchberry. 

A small shrubby plant. Rare. Pendleton : summit Spruce 
knob: Randolph: near Osceola, 
Cornus Amomum, Mill. Silky Cornel. Kinnikinnik. 

Frequent along streams. 
Cornus paniculata, L'Her. Panicled Dogwood. 

Rare. Grant : on Abram creek. 
Rhododendron maximum, L. Great Laurel. Rose Bay. 

An abundant shrub, growing in thickets in many parts of 
the State. 

Rhododendron viscosum (L.) Torr. Clammy Azalea. White 

Swamp Honeysuckle. 

Frequent along mountain streams. 
Rhododendron canescens (Michx.") G. Don. Mountain Azalea. 

Rare. Pendleton : summit Spruce knob. 



426 THE NATIVE TREES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 

Rhododendron nudiflorunij (L.) Torr. Purple Azalea. Pinxter 
Flower. 

Abundant in many sections. 
Rhododendron calendulaceum, (Michx.) Torr. Flame Azalea. 

Common in many sections. 
Menziesia pilosa, (Michx.) Pers. Alleghany Menziesia. 

Not common. Pendleton : Spruce knob ; Eandolph : Point 
mountain. 

Kalmia laUfolia, L. Mountain Laurel. "Ivy.'' 

Abundant in thickets. 
Andromeda glaucophylla, Link. ( ?) Bog Rosemary. 

Rare. Pocahontas: Cranberry Glades. Plants not in 
bloom or fruit when collected. 
Andromeda florilunda, Pursh, Mountain Fetter-bush. 

Infrequent. Pocahontas: Greenbank. (Col. G. L. Swank.) 
Lyonia Ugustrina, (L.) DC. Male Berry. 

Not common. Upshur: near Buckhannon; Webster: near 
Cowen. 

Gaylussacia haccata, (Wang.) C. Koch. Black Huckleberry. 

Abundant throughout the State. 
Vaccinium siaminium, L. Deerberry. Squaw Huckleberry. 
''Buckberry". 
Abundant on dry ground. 
Vaccinium Pennsylvanicum var. nigrum, Wood. Low Black 
Blueberry. 

Common in many localities. Pendleton : Spruce moun- 
tain ; ]\Ionongalia : near Morgantown. 

Vaccinium canadense, Kalm. Sour-top. Yelvet-leaf Blueberry. 
Rare. Tucker : Canaan Yalley ; Preston : Cranesville. 

Vaccinium vacillans, Kalm. Late Low Blueberry. 
An abundant species. 

Vaccinium corymhosiim, L. High or Swamp Bluebeirry. 
Common in some localities. 

Vaccinium erythrocarpum, l^.Iichx. Southern ]\Iountain Cran- 
berry. 

Rare. Pendleton: summit Spruce knob; Randolph: Shav- 
ers Mt. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



427 



Vaccinium Oxycoccos, L. Small Cranberry. 
In glades. Pocahontas and Tucker. 

Vaccinium macrocarpon. Ait. Large or American Cranberry. 
In glades. Pocahontas and Webster. 

Cephalanthus occidentalis, L. Button Bush. 

Found in Greenbrier, Hampshire, Jefferson, Monongalia, 
and Wetzel. Doubless occurs in many other sections. 

Diervilla Lonicera, Mill. Bush Honeysuckle. 
Kare. Pendleton: Spruce mountain. 

Lonicera canadensis, Marsh. American Fly Honeysuckle. 
Eare. Pendleton: Spruce knob. 

Vihurnum alnifolium, Marsh. Hobble-bush. Moosewood. ''Hob- 
ble-rod." 

Abundant in mountain regions. 
Virhurnum Opidus var. Americanum, (Mill.) Ait. Cranberry- 
tree. High Bush Cranberry. Infrequent. Tucker : Canaan 
Valley. 

Viburnum acerifolium, L. Dockmackie. Arrow-wood. 

A common shrub. 
Virhurnum dentatum, L. Arrow-wood. 

Infrequent. Pocahontas : Cranberr\^ Glades ; Randolph : 
near Elkins. 

Vihurnum cassinoides, L. Withe-rod. Wild Raisin. 

Not common. Webster: Gauley river; Pendleton: Big 
Run; Monongalia: Deckers creek. 
Samhucus canadensis, L. Common Elder. 

Abundant throughout the State. 
Samhucus racemosa, L. Red-berried Elder. 

Frequent in rocky woods. 

Additional Trees Listed in "Flora of West Virginia," Bulle- 
tin No. 24, West Va. Agricultural Experiment Station, 
by Dr. C. F. Millspaugh. 

Pimcs Taeda, L. Loblolly Pine. Wood, Mineral, Hampshire, 
Hardy. 

Ahies halsamea, Mill. Balsam Fir. Randolph. 
Juniperus communis, L. Juniper. Wood, IMineral, Fayette. 



428 



THE NATI^':E TREES OF WEST ^^RGINIA. 



Hicoria microcarpa, (Nutt.) Britt. Small-fruited Hickory. 
Fayette. 

Populus monilifera, Ait, Cottonwood. Ohio, Mason. 
Salix amygdaloides, And. Peach-leaved Willow. Fayette. 
Salix discolor, jMuhl. Shining Willow. Ohio. 
Betula populifolia, Marsh. White Birch. Gilmer, Randolph, 
Ulmus racemosa, Thomas. Corky Elm. Monroe, Greenbrier. 
Pyrus angustifolia, Ait. Narrow-leaved Crab. Preston, Webster, 
Nicholas, 

Bhamnus Caroliniana, Walt. Indian Cherry. McDowell. 
Crataegus apiifolia, Michx. (0. Marshallii, Eggleston) Thorn. 
Mercer. 

Crataegus coccinea, L. Thorn. Various stations. 
Crataegus mollis, (T. & G.) Sarg. Thorn. Mercer. 
Crataegus tomentosa, L. Thorn. Various stations. 
Gymnocladus dioicus, (L.) Koch. Kentuck^^ Coffee Tree. Ran- 
dolph, Webster. 
Aesculus Pavia, L. Red Buckeye. McDowell. 

Additional Shrubs Listed in Millspaugh's "Flora of West 

Virginia." 

Rohinia hispida, L. Bristly or Rose Acacia. Monongalia, Pres- 
ton, Summers. 

Spiraea hetulae folia. Pall. Birch-leaved Meadow-sweet. Web- 
ster, Hardy. 

Spiraea Virginiana, Britt. West Virginia IMeadow-sweet. Mon- 
ongalia. 

Cornus circinata, L'Her. Round-leaved Dogwood. Upshur, 
Ptelea trifoliata, L, Water-ash. Hop-tree. Jefferson, Hancock, 

Brooke, Summers. 
Ilex mollis, Gray. Holly. Fayette. 

Bhamnus Caroliniana, Walt. Indian Cherry. McDowell. 
Vitis riparia, ]\Iichx. Grape. Randolph, Summers, Jefferson. 
Vitis rupestris, Scheele. Sand Grape. Fayette. 
Vitis rotundifolia, Michx. ]\Iuscadine. Randolph, Fayette, Sum- 
mers. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



429 



Butneria florida, (L) Kearn. Randolph, Webster, Fayette, 
Summers. 

Butneria laevigatus (Willd.) McDowell. 

Kalmia angustifoUa, L. Sheep Laurel. Lamb-kiU. Calhoun, 

Upshur, Randolph, Nicholas, Hardy. 
Rhododendron arhorescens, Torr. Smooth Azalea. Fayette, 

Webster. 

Rhododendron Catawliense, Michx. Lilac-coloTed Laurel. Pen- 
dleton, Fayette, Greenbrier, Summers. 

Clethera acuminata, Michx. White Alder. Fayette. 

Tecoma radicans, (L.) Juss. Trumpet-creeper. Monongalia, 
Marion, Fayette, etc. 

8alix humilis, Maffsh. Prairie Willow. Webster, Preston. 



CHAPTER IX 



WOOD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 



Eeports obtained from about one-half of the wood-working 
establishments in "West Virginia furnish the only data available 
at present for the general information herein given; and inas- 
much as many of the reports were incomplete and for the reason 
that some of the largest concerns in the State could not be heard 
from nor visited, the estimates given will be valuable chiefly in 
showing the approximate extent of the several departments of 
this industry and in paving the way, in some degree, for a more 
careful future study. The average prices of the various kinds 
of lumber given cannot be relied on in many cases as this item 
was generally omitted by the reporting firms. The percentages 
of the different kinds of wood produced within and without the 
State must be omitted entirely for want of accurate information. 
It can safely be stated, however, that at least 75 per cent of all 
manufactured woods come from the forests of West Virginia. 

The quantity of rough lumber converted into finished pro- 
ducts by the West Virginia wood-working mills each year is 
probably not far from 330 million feet, board measure. The 28 
kinds of wood named in the following table, with the approxi- 
mate quantity nianufactured of each, include all that w&re re- 
ported, though many others doubtless should have been included. 
It was not possible to separate the different species of oaks, 
maples, birches, ashes, and hickories, and under the head of 
yellow pine are included at least two other nearly related species 
of pines which grow in the states farther south. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 431 

Table No. i. — Kinds and Quantity of Wood Manufactured. 

Kind of Wood. Approximate number board feet manufactured. 

Oak 95,775,000 

Poplar 65,390,000 

Hemlock 45,080,000 

Spruce 32,600,000 

Chestnut 17,880,000 

Yellow pine 13,910,000 

Beech 12,021,000 

Maple 10,604,000 

Hickory 8,420,000 

White pine * 8,250,000 

Birch 7,375,000 

Basswood 7,090,000 

White elm 3,700,000 

Ash : 2,288,000 

Red gum 1,950,000 

Cypress 505,000 

Cherry 455,000 

Black gum 301,000 

Buckeye 240,000 

Cucumber 200,000 

Black walnut 179,500 

Locust 100,000 

Scrub pine , 90,000 

Sycamore 80,000 

Butternut 52,000 

Cedar 30,000 

Willow 25,000 

Mahogany 6,500 



Total 334,597,000 



Industries. 

The wood-working industries are grouped for convenience 
under the following heads, viz: (1) Interior and Exterior Fin- 
ish and Fixtures, (2) Furniture, (3) Vehicles and Vehicle Stock, 
(4) Handles, (5) Mine and Log Cars, (6) Boxes, Crates and 
Cooperage, and (7) Miscellaneous. 

Interior and Exterior Finish and Fixtures. 

The industries included under the head of Interior and Ex- 
terior Finish and Fixtures number almost 200, and manufacture 
each year approximately 240 million feet of the finished materials 
that are used in the construction of houses. These materials in- 
clude flooring, ceiling, siding, mouldings, stair work, columns, 



432 



WOOD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 



doors, sash, frames, cornice, office, store and bank fixtures, etc. 
A very large quantity of finishing materials, already dressed, is 
shipped in from other states and sold to consumers in West Vir- 
ginia. The table below does not include any materials manufac- 
tured outside of the State. 



Table No. 2. — Kinds, Quantity, and Price of Lumber Used in 
Interior and Exterior Finish and Fixtures. 



Kind of Wood. 


Approximate Number of 
feet B. M. manufactured 
annually. 


Approximate average 
price per 1000 ft. B. 
M. at factory. 


Oak 


80,000,000 


$28.00 


Yellow poplar 


54,000,000 


32.00 


Hemlock 


38,000,000 


16.00 


Spruce 


26,000,000 


20.00 


Chestnut 


12,000,000 


26.00 


Maple 


6,000,000 


22.00 


Beech 


5,100,000 


•20.00 


White Pine 


6,000,000 


31.00 


Birch 


3,500,000 


31,00 


Yellow pine 


2,500,000 


27.00 


Ash 


2,000,000 


28.00 


Basswood 


3,500,000 


33.00 


Cherry 


450,000 


60.00 


Hickory 


250,000 


38.00 


Cucumber 


200,000 


25.00 


Buckeye 


200,000 




Black walnut 


100,000 


85.00 


Sycamore 


80,000 




Black gum 


80,000 




Cedar 


30,000 




Cypress 


5,000 




Mahogany 


5,000 


150.00 




240,000,000 





Furniture. 

According to reports received from 10 manufacturers, there 
are 13 species used and a quantity of a little more than 8^ 
million feet of lumber made annually into furniture of various 
kinds. Kitchen, dining room, bed room, parlor, and office furni- 
ture, as v^ell as church and school house furniture are included 
in the list of manufactured articles. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 433 



Table No. 3.— Kinds, Quantity, and Price of Lumber Used in 
Furniture Manufacture. 



Kind of Wood. 


Approximate Number of 
feet B. M. manufactured 
annually. 


Approximate average 
price per 1000 ft. B. 
M. at factory. 


Oak 


7,000,000 


<pou.uv 


Poplar 


800,000 


34.00 


Maple 


350,000 


20!00 


Chestnut 


230,000 


19.00 


Yellow pine 


"1 A^A AAA 

1dO,UOO 




Birch 


75,000 


22.00 


Beech 


21,000 


24.00 


Black gum 


16,000 




Ash 


8,000 


25.00 


Cherry 


5,000 




Black walnut | 


4,500 


30.00 


Butternut 


2,000 


25.00 


Mahogany 


1,500 


165.00 


Total 


8,673,000 





Vehicles and Vehicle Stock. 

Six kinds of wood are reported from 10 establishments that 
manufacture vehicles or parts of vehicles. The table below 
shows that 5 million feet of lumber are used annually in this 
way. Hickory, used for spokes and rims leads in quantity ; oak 
for running gear comes next, and birch for hubs next. The 
relatively large quantity of birch is manufactured into hubs by 
a single factory at Richwood, Nicholas county. Farm and team 
wagons, trucks, drays, dump carts, dumping wagons, fruit and 
dairy wagons, hickory fellows and spokes for heavy wagons, 
buggies and automobiles, and hubs for all manner of vehicles are 
reported. 



Table No. 4. — Kinds, Quantity and Price of Lumber Used in 
the Manufacture of Vehicles and Vehicle Stock. 



Kind of Wood. 


Approximate Numher of | Approximate average 
feet B. M. manufactured | price per 1000 ft. B. 
annually. [ M. at factory. 


Hickory 


i 2,125,000 


$30.00 


Oak 


1,325,000 


25.00 


Birch 


1,100,000 


15.00 


Black gum 


200,000 


35.00 


Ash 


100,000 


30.00 


Yellow pine 


150.000 


20.00 




5,000,000 





28 



434 



WOOD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 



Handles. 

Several large factories are engaged in the manufacture of 
hickory, maple, beech, and birch into handles of many kinds. 
These include handles for axes, sledges, picks, hammers, cant 
hooks, brooms, etc. One company employs about 100 hands and 
uses annually from 6 to 8 thousand cords of hickory. The num- 
ber of establishments reporting is 6 and the quantity of wood 
used annually, as shown below, is 9,540,000 feet. 



Table No. 5. — Kinds, Quantity, and Price of Lumber Used in 
the Manufacture of Handles. 



Kind of Wood. 


Approximate Number of 
feet B. M. manufactured 
annually. 


Approximate average 
price per 1000 ft. B. 
M. at factory. 


Hickory- 


6,040,000 


$20.00 


Maple 


1,500,000 


12.00 


Beech 


1,500,000 


12.00 


Birch 


500,000 


12.00 









Mine and Log Cars. 

Six reporting companies are engaged in the manufacture of 
mine and log cars. The three woods used are yellow pine, oak 
and ash ; and the reported amount is 5,855,000 feet. The 3 mil- 
lion feet or over of yellow pine is used in the construction of 
standard gauge cars by a single company in Huntington. 



Table No. 6. — Kinds, Quantity and Price of Lumber Used in 
the Manufacture of Mine and Log Cars. 



Kind of Wood. 


Approximate Number of 
feet B. M. manufactured 
annually. 


Approximate average 
price per 1000 ft. B. 
M. at factory. 


Yellow pine 


3,250,000 


$24.00 


Oak 


2,600,000 


21.00 


Ash 


5,000 


22.00 









WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



435 



Boxes, Crates and Cooperage. 

The 48 million feet used annually in making boxes, crates 
and barrels, as given below, may be far from the correct figure 
as a large number of establishments that manufacture these ar- 
ticles were not heard from and the estimate based on the reports 
received is approximate. Great care must necessarily be exercised 
in making a complete study under this head for the reason that 
some companies complete the manufacture of articles from the 
log to the finished product, some manufacture only the shooks 
which are sold to users within or outside the State, and others — 
as in the case of a number of glass factories — buy the shooks from 
various sources and complete the manufacture. Fourteen spe- 
cies are reported, and probably nearly as many more are used to 
some extent. 



Table No. 7. — Kinds, Quantity and Price of Lumber Used in 
the Manufacture of Boxes, Crates and Cooperage. 



Kind of Wood. 


Approximate Number of 
feet B. M. manufactured 
annually. 


Approximate average 
price per 1000 ft. B. 
M. at factory. 


Yellow pine 


7,000,000 


$16.00 


Oak 


3,500,000 


11.00 


Poplar 


4,300,000 


19.00 


Hemlock 


5,400,000 


12.00 


Spruce 


6,000,000 




Chestnut 


5,500,000 


13.00 


White elm 


3,700,000 




Beech 


2,800,000 




Basswood 


2,300,000 




Birch 


2,100,000 




Maple 


2,000,000 




White pine 


1,900,000 


18.00 


Scrub pine 


90,000 






48,290,000 





Miscellaneous. 

Under the head of miscellaneous are included a number of 
wood-working industries which, in a more thorough study, might 
be classified into several groups according to the similarity of 
their manufactured products. The table below shows that over 
17 million feet of lumber is used in the manufacture of the wood 
en articles named. 



436 



WOOD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 



Table No. 8. — Miscellaneous Wooden Articles and the Kinds 



and Quantity of Lumber Used in Their Manufacture. 



Manufactured Article. 


x^ina 01 wooa. 


Approximate 
No. of ft. B. 
M. Manufact- 
ured An. 


V CllCCi. 


Poplar 


2,800,000 




Oak 


200,000 




Walnut 


75,000 




Basswood 


485,000 




White walnut 


50,000 




Poplar 


40,000 




Buckeye 


40,000 




Willow 


25,000 


Pine; anrl Brackets 


Locust 


100,000 




Ash 


75,000 




Maple 


5,000 




Hickory 


5,000 


Bungs and Plugs 


Poplar 


2,850,000 


White pine 


100,000 




Oak 


50,000 


Oil and Gas well Rigs 


Hemlock 


580,000 




Oak 


200,000 




Pine 


600,000 




Maple 


23,000 


± ctllxVo 


Cypress 


500,000 




White pine 


250,000 




Yellow pine 


100,000 


Wheelbarrows, Patterns, 


Hemlock 


800,000 


Flasks, Cants, Arms, Drill- 


Oak 


400,000 


ing Machines, Sand Reels, 


Yellow pine 


100,000 


etc. 


Spruce 


50,000 


White pine 


50,000 




Maple 


25,000 


vV UUU. IIUCI 


Black gum 


5,000 


Basswood 


5,000 


Violins 


Maple 


800 




Spruce 


200 


P 1 ntli pmii Ti 


Beech 


2,600,000 


"Rnttpr trav<? 
J_>L!.Ltv::l Li <xj o 


Maple 


600,000 


Pirtiirp TT'ramPfs 


Basswood 


60o!oOO 




Oak 


300,000 




Red gum 


250,000 




Poplar ' 


200,000 




Yellow pine 


50,000 




Chestnut 


50^000 


Pails, Buckets, Tubs 


Poplar 


100^000 


Basswood 


100,000 




Ash 


50,000 




Birch 


150,000 




Maple 


100,000 


Refrigerators 


Poplar 


300,000 




Basswood 


100,000 




'Spruce 


500,000 




Hemlock ' 


300,000 


% 


Oak 


200,000 




Chestnut 


100,000 




Total 





WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



437 



List of Wooden Articles Manufactured in West Virginia. 



Acid tanks 

Adz handles 

Automobile spokes 

Axe handles 

Balusters 

Barrels 

Barrel staves 

Barrel heads 

Barrel hoops 

Bar fixtures 

Base boards 

Bedsteads 

Beer boxes 

Blinds 

Boats 

Bungs 

Broom handles 
Butter trays 
Cabinets 
Candy buckets 
Cants 

Canthook handles 

Carriage rims 

Carriage hubs 

Casing 

Cases 

Ceiling 

Chairs 

Church pulpits 
Church seats 
Clay cars 
Clothespins 
Coal cars 
Cocoanut pails 
Cornice 
Crates 



Dairy wagons 
Dining tables 
Doors 
Drays 
Dressers 

Drilling machines 

Drug boxes 

Dry goods boxes 

Dump carts 

Excelsior 

Flasks 

Flooring 

Fruit wagons 

Grain cradles 

Hammer handles 

Hatchet handles 

Insulator pins 

Ketchup buckets 

Kitchen cupboards 

Lard tubs 

Lantern boxes 

Lattice 

Log cars 

Mantels 

Mine cars 

Mouldings 

Office fixtures 

Office desks 

Patterns 

Packing boxes 

Pickets 

Pickhandles 

Picture frames 

Plugs 

Pop boxes 

Porch columns 



Porch swings 

Pottery crates 

Preserve boxes 

Pulpits 

Pumps 

Refrigerators 

Rockers 

Rollers 

Sand reels 

Sash 

School seats 

Shelving 

Ship pins 

Shook 

Sideboards 

Siding 

Sledge handles 
Stair work 
Store fixtures 
Tin plate boxes 
Trucks 
Violins 

Wagon bodies 
Wagon hubs 
Wagon spokes 
Wainscoting 
Wardrobes 
Washstands 
Water tanks 
Wheelbarrows 
Window frames 
Window glass boxes 
Wood fiber 
Whip handles 



LIST OF WOOD-MANUFACTURING ESTABLISH- 
MENTS. 



Interior and Exterior Finish and Fixtures. 



Belington Planing Mill Co Belington, Barbour Co. 

J. W. Ware Belington, Barbour Co. 

H. P. Thorn Martinsburg, Berkeley Co. 

Lee M. Bender ..Martinsburg, Berkeley Co. 

Danville Improvement Co Danville, Boone Co. 

Howell & Lewis Madison, Boone Co. 

Gassaway Lumber Co Gassaway, Braxton Co. 

Davis & Tucker Sutton, Braxton Co. 

Central Lumber & Planing Mill Co Burnsville, Braxton Co. 

Bickerstaff & Coleman Wellsburg, Brooke Co. 

Sliger Bros Huntington, Cabell Co. 



438 



WOOD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 



T. W. Wilson , Guyandotte, Cabell Co. 

Samuel Beswick Planing Mill Co Huntington, Cabell Co. 

The D. L. Morrow Planing Mill Co. . . . .Huntington, Cabell Co. 

C. M. Callaway Lumber Co Huntington, Cabell Co. 

Ackerman Lumber Co Huntington, Cabell Co. 

Licking River Lumber Co .Huntington, Cabell Co. 

Thornburg Manufacturing Co. Huntington, Cabell Co. 

S. M. Ward .Grantsville, Calhoun Co. 

Huffman Mill Co Grantsville, Calhoun Co. 

W. H. Jackson Big Springs, Calhoun Co. 

Tracy Poling & Brothers Russett, Calhoun Co. 

C. Wigner Grantsville, Calhoun Co. 

Morton Bros Lizemore, Clay Co. 

Elkhurst Planing Mill Co Yankeedam, Clay Co. 

Samuel Thomas Clay, Clay Co. 

West Union Lumber Co West Union, Doddridge Co. 

Smithburg Lumber Co. Smithton, Doddridge Co. 

Sewell Lumber Co .Landisburg, Fayette Co. 

Hogg Lumber Co Glenjean, Fayette Co. 

Stewart Colliery Co Stewart, Fayette Co. 

Geo. Fling Roseville, Gilmer Co. 

Noah L. Wells Glenville, Gilmer Co. 

Glenville Planing Mill Co Glenville, Gilmer Co. 

Karl Hardman & Bro.. Tannerville, Gilmer Co. 

John West & Son Rosedale, Gilmer Co. 

Jennings Stalnaker. Letter Gap, Gilmer Co. 

Homer Wcofter Newberne, Gilmer Co. 

Cool & Co Cedarville, Gilmer Co. 

A. N. Bailey Cedarville, Gilmer Co. 

Parsons Pulp & Lumber Co Dobbin, Grant Co. 

A. A. Price Argo, Greenbrier Co. 

St. Lawrence Boom & Mfg. Co Ronceverte, Greenbrier Co. 

Ronceverte Lumber Co Ronceverte, Greenbrier Co. 

Jones Bros Meadow Bluff Greenbrier Co. 

A. H. Lusher.... (Grassy Mead's. Greenbrier Co. 

A. E. Huddleston White Sul. Spg Greenbrier Co. 

Nelson White Organ Cave, Greenbrier Co. 

Clower Bros... Moorefield, Hardy Co, 

Wm. Barney Wardensville, Hardy Co. 

Geo. B. Hulver McCauley, Hardy Co. 

Snider Bros.... Mathias, Hardy Co. 

Richard Construction Co... Clarksburg, Harrison Co. 

Clarksburg Lumber & Planing Mill Co. Clarksburg, Harrison Co. 

Parr Lumber Co ..Clarksburg, Harrison Co. 

H. C. Progler & Son Ripley, Jackson Co. 

T. J. Sayre Evans, Jackson Co. 

Wm. Phillips Sons ..Charleston, Jefferson Co. 

American Column & Lumber Co....... St. Albans, Kanawha Co. 

Mohler Lumber Co Lock Seven, Kanawha Co. 

The Charleston Lumber Co Charleston, Kanawha Co. 

Kanawha Planing Mill Co Charleston, Kanawha Co. 

F. Lory & Sons Charleston, Kanawha Co. 

Morgan Lumber Co Charleston, Kanawha Co. 

John P. Blessing Charleston, Kanawha Co. 

Weston Lumber Co Weston, Lewis Co. 

The Sun Lumber Co Weston, Lewis Co. 

The Simmons Planing Mill Co Weston, Lev/is Co. 

East Weston Planing Mill Co Weston, Lewis Co. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



439 







Lewis Co. 






Lincoln Co. 


W. W. Baker 




Lincoln Co. 






Lincoln Co. 






McDowell Co. 


United States Coal & Coke Co 




McDowell Co. 






Marion Co. 






Marion Co. 


J. A. Hess & Co 




Marion Co. 






Marion Co. 






Marion Co. 




. -Moundsville, 


Marshall Co. 






Marshall Co. 






Marshall Co. 


Point Pleasant Planing Mill Co 




Mason Co. 






Mercer Co. 


The Princeton Brick & Lumber Co.. 


. .Princeton, 


Mercer Co. 






Mercer Co. 


L. B. Farley 




Mercer Co. 


L. A. Foley 




Mercer Co, 


Virginia Supply Co 




Mercer Co. 






Mineral Co. 


W. A. Liller 




Mineral Co. 




. .Rapp, 


Mingo Co. 






Mingo Co. 


Matewan Planing Mill Co 


• - Matewan, 


Mingo Co. 


Mont Steel 


. .Williamson, 


Mingo Co. 




. -Morgantown, 


Monongalia Co 




. .Morgantown, 


Monongalia Co 




. .Morgantown, 


Monongalia Co 


E. M. Davis 


. Union, 


Monroe Co. 




. -Union, 


Monroe Co. 


Robert Arnett 


• -Lillydale, 


Monroe Co. 




. .Alderson, 


Monroe Co. 


A W. Thomas 


. .Peterstown, 


Monroe Co. 




. .Lillydale, 


Monroe Co. 




. Wikel, 


Monroe Co. 




. - Hunters Spg. 


Monroe Co. 


John C. Miller . 


Red Sul. Spg. 


Monroe Co. 




. .Cashmere, 


Monroe Co. 




. -Cashmere, 


Monroe Co. 




Berkeley Spg. 


Morgan Co. 




. Berkeley Spg 


Morgan Co. 


Cherry River Boom & Lumber Co ... . 


. .Richwood, 


Nicholas Co. 


E. R. McCutcheon 


Gilboa, 


Nicholas Co. 




. .Pool. 


Nicholas Co. 




. .Mt, Lookout 


Nicholas Co. 




. . Summersville, 


Nicholas Co. 




. . Summersville, 


Nicholas Co. 




. .Wheeling, 


Ohio Co. 




. .¥7heeling, 


Ohio Co. 




. .Wheeling, 


Ohio Co. 




. .Wheeling, 


Ohio Co. 




. ."^Hieeling, 


Ohio Co. 




. .Wheeling, 


Ohio Co. 




. .Franklin, 


Pendleton Co. 




. .St. Mary's, 


Pleasants Co. 




. .Burner, 


Pocahontas Co. 



440 



WOOD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 





. .Dunlevie, 


Pocahontas Co 






Preston Co. 




. .Amboy, 


Preston Co. 




. .Eglon, 


Preston Co. 




, .Clifton Mills, 


Preston Co. 




. . Bruceton Mills, 


Preston Co. 


J. M. Crane & Co 


..Kingwood, 


Preston Co. 






Preston Co. 


Allinder & Raynes 


Buffalo, 


Putnam Co. 


Blue Jay Lumber Co 


. . Blue Jay, 


Raleigh Co. 


J. A. Lilly 


Glen Morgan, 


Raleigh Co. 






Raleigh Co. 






Raleigh Co. 






Raleigh Co. 


Elkins Pail & Lumber Co 




Randolph Co. 


Tygart River Lumber Co 


, . Millcreek, 


Randolph Co. 


Glady Fork Lumber Co 


Glady, 


Randolph Co. 




. . Horton, 


Randolph Co. 


Elkins Planing Mill Co 


Elkins, 


Randolph Co. 


R. W. Bishop 




Randolph Co. 






Ritchie Co. 


Pennesboro Mfg. Co 


. . Pennsboro, 


Ritchie Co. 


H. M. Arnett & Son 


. . Spencer, 


Roane Co. 


William Huddleson 


. . Spencer, 


Roane Co, 






Roane Co. 






Roane Co. 


J. H. Parker 


. . .Kester, 


Roane Co. 


F. H. Jones 


Walton, 


Roane Co. 


H. S. McCulty 




Roane Co. 


W. W. Ogden 


Newton, 


Roane Co. 


The Wm. James Sons Co 


Hinton, 


Summers Co. 




New Richm'd. 


Summers Co. 


Grafton Lumber Co 


Grafton, 


Taylor Co. 




Grafton, 


Taylor Co. 


J. L. Magill 


Grafton, 


Taylor Co. 


Babcock Lumber & Boom Co 


Davis, 


Tucker Co. 


Otter Creek Boom & Lumber Co 


Hambleton, 


Tucker Co. 






Tucker Co. 


Parsons Lumber & Planing Mill Co.. 


. .Parsons, 


Tucker Co. 




, Sistersville, 


Tyler Co. 


W. H. Huth & Son 


, Middlebourne, 


Tyler Co. 




. . . Shirley, 


Tyler Co. 




Frenchton, 


Upshur Co 


H. Fidler 




Upshur Co 


E. C. Queen 


. .Rock Cave, 


Upshur Co 




. Newlonton, 


Upshur Co 


Wm. Grosscup 


, Buckhannon, 


Upshur Co 


H. B. Morgan & Sons Planing Mill Co. .Buckhannon, 


Upshur Co 


D. G. Watkins & Son 


Buckhannon, 


Upshur Co 






Wayne Co. 




Lavelette, 


Wayne Co. 


Kenova Poplar Co 


Kenova, 


Wayne Co. 


Cherry River Boom & Lumber Co ... . 


Camden-on- 


Webster Co. 




Gauley, 




J. F. Darnell 


Freeport, 


Wirt Co. 


G. W. Righter 


Sanoma, 


Wirt Co. 


A. Buck 


.Creston, 


Wirt Co. 




Elizabeth, 


Wirt Co. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



441 



Badger Bros Elizabeth, Wirt Co. 

Parkersburg Mill Co Parkersburg, Wood Co. 

Citizens Lumber Co Parkersburg, Wood Co. 

Radeker Lumber Co Parkersburg, Wood Co. 

Warren Myers Parkersburg, Wood Co. 

West Virginia Mantel Co Parkersburg, Wood Co. 

W. M. Ritter Lumber Co Maben, Wyoming Co. 

Keys-Fannin Lumber Co Herndon, Wyoming Co. 

G. E. Lambert Pineville, Wyoming Co. 

J. S. Lambert Key Rock, Wyoming Co. 



Furniture. 



Penn Table Co Huntington, Cabell Co. 

Nicbolson-Kendle Furniture Co Huntington, Cabell Co. 

Empire Furniture Co Huntington, Cabell Co. 

Drawley Furniture Co Charleston, Kanawha Co. 

Ohio Valley Furniture Co Charleston, Kanawha Co. 

West Virginia School Furniture Co.... Logan, Logan Co. 

Richardson Furniture Co Keyser, ^lineral Co. 

Shoeppner & Sons Wheeling, Ohio Co. 

Novelty Lumber Mfg. Co Marlinton, Pocahontas Co. 

The Pennsboro Furniture Co Pennsboro, Ritchie Co. 

Star Lumber Co Pennsboro, Ritchie Co. 

Bentley & Gervvig Furniture Co Parkersburg, Wood Co. 



Vehicles and Vehicle Stock. 



Auburn Wagon Co Martinsburg, Berkeley Co. 

James Fidler Burnsville, Braxton Co. 

J. F. Haury Bending Co Huntington, Cabell Co. 

Samuel Thomas Clay, Clay Co. 

J. F. Brovrn & Bro Ronceverte, Greenbrier Co. 

Conker & Guill Charleston, Kanawha Co. 

The H. G. Sherwood Co Richwood, Nicholas Co. 

S. P. Priest & Son Franklin, Pendleton Co. 

Three States Mfg. Co Kenova, Wa^yne Co. 

Ohio Valley Bending Co Parkersburg, Wood Co. 



Handles. 



Huntington Handle Co Huntington, Cabell Co. 

J. P. Brown & Bro Ronceverte, Greenbrier Co. 

Kelly Axe Mfg. Co Charleston. Kanawha Co. 

Schmick Handle & Lumber Co William. Tucker Co. 

Waitman T. Linger Sago. Fpshur Co. 

The Parkersburg Mill Co Parkersburg. Wood Co. 

A. Buck Creston, Wirt Co. 



442 



WOOD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 



Mine and Log Cars. 



American Car & Foundry Co Huntington, Cabell Co. 

The Davis-Price Foundry & Mach. Co. .New Cumb'l'd. Hancock Co. 

The Marquet Coal Co New Cumb'l'd. Hancock Co. 

Kanawha Mine Car Co Charleston, Kanawha Co. 

Fairmont Mining Machinery Co Fairmont. Marion Co. 

Helmick Foundry Machine Co Fairmont, Marion Co. 

Boxes, Box Shook, Crates and Cooperage. 

Berkeley Cooperage Co Martinsburg, Berkeley Co. 

Beader Box Mfg. Co Huntington, Cabell Co. 

Lang & Crist Box & Lumber Co Clarksburg, Harrison Co. 

Baker Limestone Co Bakerton, Jefferson Co. 

W. Higgs Charlestown, Jefferson Co. 

J. U. Graham Charleston, Kanawha Co 

The Weston Lumber Co Weston, Lewis Co. 

Fairmont Bottle Co Fairmont, Marion Co. 

The Grief Brothers Co Moundsville, Marshall Co. 

T. F. McDermott Box Co Moundsville, Marshall Co. 

W. W. McConnell Estate Wheeling, Ohio Co. 

Pocahontas Lumber Co.... Marlinton, Pocahontas Co. 

Allen Forman .Amboy, Preston Co. 

Blue Jay Lumber Co Blue Jay, Raleigh Co. 

Glady Fork Lumber Co Glady, Randolph Co. 

Babcock Lumber & Boom Co Davis, Tucker Co, 

Kenova Box Co Ken ova, Wayne Co. 

Kenova Poplar Mfg. Co Kenova, Wayne Co. 

The Parkersburg Mill Co Parkersburg, Wood Co. 

Miscellaneous. 

Burnsville Veneer Mills Burnsville, Braxton Co. 

The Central Veneer Co Huntington, Cabell Co. 

D. E. Abbott & Co Huntington, Cabell Co. 

Huntington Chair Co Huntington, Cabell Co. 

Central City Bung Co.. Huntington, Cabell Co. 

The Davis-Price Foundry & Mach. Co. .New Cumb'l'd. Hancock Co. 

American Column & Lumber Co St. Albans, Kanawha Co. 

Fairmont Vv^all Plaster Co Fairmont, Marion Co. 

H. S. Rudy Fairmont, Marion Co. 

Fairmont Mining Machinery Co Fairmont, Marion Co. 

J. A. Schwob Co Moundsville, Marshall Co. 

Moundsville Excelsior Works Moundsville, Marshall Co. 

Kanawha Dock Co Pt. Pleasant, Mason Co. 

Dodge Clothespin Co Rich wood, Nicholas Co. 

Buena Vista Harwood Co Stony Bottom, Pocahontas Co. 

Elkins Pail & Lumber Co Elkins, Randolph Co. 

Star Lumber Co Pennsboro, Ritchie Co, 

Grafton Y/ood-working Co Grafton, Taylor Co. 

Schmick Handle & Lumber Co.. William, Tucker Co. 

Waitman T. Linger Sago, Upshur Co. 

Three States Mfg. Co Kenova, Wayne Co. 

The Parkersburg Mill Co Parkersburg, Wood Co. 

The Parkersburg Chair Co Parkersburg, Wood Co. 

The Parkersburg Rig & Reel Co Parkersburg, Wood Co. 

Oil Well Supply Co Parkersburg, Wood Co. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



443 



LIST OF OPERATING SAW MILLS. 



BARBOUR COUNTY. 

J. H. Felton & Brothers, Arden Circular saw. 

Ed. England, Philippi 

Frank Wolf, Philippi 

C. C. Wolf, Philippi 

Joseph Sandridge, Belington " 

E. R. Dyer, Philippi 

Kelly & Baker, Philippi 

J. W. Shaw, Philippi " 

-Noah Parks, Philippi..... " 

John Fallon, Volga " 

C. P. Wolf, Philippi 

Upton Mitchell, Arden 

S. M. Ball, Philippi 

BERKELEY COUNTY. 



Cal. Heheling, Martinsburg Circular saw. 

BOONE COUNTY. 

Peytona Lumber Co., Peytona Band saw. 

Leatherwood Lumber Co., Hill Band saw. 

E. E. Alcorn, Peytona Circular saw. 



Sear & Stevenson, Harless " 

J. M. & J. S. Hill, Lora 

C. S. Rollison, Hill 

James Haas, Hill 

New Jersey Lumber Co., Danville 

Nicholas Brothers, Danville 

Elmer Harless, Andrew 

Samuel Hoisted, Foster 

A. J. Miller & Brother, Foster 

Benjamin Sturgal, Andrew 

Greely Isaac, Hill " 

Jones Lumber Co., Danville " 

Board Lumber Co., Danville 

Chambers & Tony, Danville 

Melrose & Hatfield, Danville 

Walter McKinney, Danville " 

Adams & Goff, Turtle Creek 

Alex. Markham & Bro., Greenview " 

G. W. Hill, Danville 

J. D. Dowell, Havana " 

Bruffy & Damewood, Hewett 

Hagar & Aleshire, Hewett 

L G. Stollings, Clothier " 

Bias & Bias, Clothier " 

Benjamin Price, Uneeda 

John P. Blessing, Cobb " 

J. W. Cart, Peytona 

Lew, Baler, Peytona 

E. E. Alcorn, Peytona " 

D. G. Courtney, Charleston Circular saw and stave mill. 

Danville Improvement Co., Danville Circular saw and planer. 



444 



WOOD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 



BRAXTON COUNTY. 

Mead & Speer Co., Jennings .Band saw. 

Birch Boom & Lumber Co., Glendon Circular saw. 

Fisher-Berry Lumber Co., Platwoods. . . . " 

G, P. Gillespie, Palmer " 

Diggings & Holden, Centralia " 

Smoot Lumber Co., Levi " 

R. M. Combs, Sutton 

L. F. Davis, Sutton 

Pioneer Pole & Shaft Co., Orlando 

Waggy & Harden Lumber Co., Sutton... " 

A. J. Rawson, Rosedale Circular saw and stave mill. 

Interstate Cooperage Co., Gassaway Stave mill. 

D. S. Engle & Son, Home " 

D. M. Wolf, Belfont 

Boggs Stave & Lumber Co., Wire Bridge. Circular saw and stave mill 



BROOKE COUNTY. 

Berdine & Sons, Wellsburg. Circular saw. 

McGinnis & Mozingo, Wellsburg " 

Hervey Brothers, Wellsburg " 

Pfister Brothers, Wellsburg Saw and grist mill. 



CABELL COUNTY. 

Ameri'n. Car & Foundry Co., Huntington. Circular saw. 

Wilson Brothers, Guyandotte " 

Sliger Brothers, Huntington " 

T. W. Wilson, Guyandotte 



CALHOUN COUNTY. 

Melville Westfall, White Pine Circular saw. 

Geo. Kerby, Ayers " 

Benj. B. Shimer, Freed 

Hicks & Queen, Grantsville " 

W. P. Plant, Grantsville 

B. B. Perrell, Big Bend 

Al. Kimble, Grantsville 

Jarvis & Hicks, Oka " 

Hicks & King, Douglas " 

S. M. Ward, Grantsville Circular saw and planer. 

Huffman Mill Co., Grantsville 

W. H. Jackson, Big Springs 

Tracy Poling & Brothers, Russett 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



445 



CLAY COUNTY. 



Crescent Lumber Co., Cressmont Band saw. 

Clay Lumber Co., Porter Band saw. 

Groves Creek Lumber Co., Ira Circular saw. 

James and L. J. Reed, Cosmega.'. " 



Geo. H. Seagraves & Co., Eldorado 

Ezekiel Holcomb, Serena 

Grant P. Morton, Lizemore 

Morton Brothers, Lizemore 

Marcellus Hardman, Nebo 

E. F. Sirk, Ira 

David Eagle, Valley Fork 

Waggy & Gorrell, Whetstone , 

Kimbell Brothers, Ivy dale 

Charles Young, Douglas 

Shadle & Auchmuty, Yankee Dam. 

R. W. Morton, Crosby 

Newton Nicholas, Clay 

L. D. Mullins, Clay 



DODDRIDGE COUNTY. 

Charley Smith, West Union Circular saw. 

Herbert Davis, West Union " 

W. T. Ferine, West Union 

Albert Strickling, West Union " 

S. Ford, Center Point 

R. T. McGowan, Blandville 

J. M. Cox, Market 

Roy Piggott, Central Station " 



FAYETTE COUNTY. 

The J. W. Mahan Lumber Co., Mahan Band saw. 

Sewell Lumber Co., Landisburg Band saw. 

Charleston Lumber Co., Belva .Circular saw. 

Rule & Rule, Deitz " 

W. C. Mohr, Victor 

John A. Wilson, Kanawha Falls " 

J. W. Campbell, Divide 

J. W. Amick, Dempsey " 

J. A. Roberts, Page " 

J. W. Montgomery, Kanawha Falls " 

G. Vincel, Dixie " 

Mankins Lumber Co., Oak Hill " 

J. M. Arthur, Beckwith 

H. J. Withrow, Gatewood, " 

J. H. Nickell, Graydon 

Holliday Brothers, Edmond " 

Burgess Brothers, Fayetteville " 

G. W. Pleshman & Son, Danese " 

R. S. Aldrich, Corliss Circular saw and stave mill. 

Hogg Lumber Co., Glenjean Circular saw and planer. 

Stewart Colliery Co., Stewart Circular saw and planer. 



446 



WOOD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 



GILMER COUNTY. 

H. G. Hardman & Son, Lockney Circular saw. 

Jolin Burke, Cedarville " 

Lee Rhoads, Cedarville " 

Harvey Frashure, Truebada ** 

Benjamin Allen, Sand Fork " 

John Ralston, Tannerville " 

Ira Young, Letter Gap " 

Allen Bailey, Cedarville " 

Karl Hardman & Brother, Tannerville... " 

Johnson Westfall, Dekalb " 

A. S. Westfall & Son, Letter Gap " 

F. R. Bell, Normantown " 

Boggs Brothers, Perkins " 

Davis Brothers, Coxes Mills " 

Frank Davis, DeKalb 

George Fling, Roseville Circular saw and planer. 

GRANT COUNTY. 



Parsons Pulp & Lumber Co., Dobbin ... .Band saw. 

Turner & Watts, Petersburg Circular saw. 

Mongold, Reel & Co., Petersburg " 

H. F. Brubeck, Petersburg " 

A. W. Sites, Masonville 

Sites & Veach, Dorcas 

GREENBRIER COUNTY. 

St. Lawrence Boom & Mfg. Co., 

Ronceverte .Band saw. 

St. Lawrence Boom & Mfg. Co., 

Shryock " 

Neola Lumber Co,. Neola " 

Meadow River Lumber Co., Meadow Ck. . " 

J. W. Callison, Farmdale Circular saw. 

E. E. Crane, Crawley " 

J. A. & E. L. Wyatt, Williamsburg 

J. B. Deitz, KeifEer 

L. D. Blake, Trout 

L. A. McClung, Rupert 

C. L. McClung, McClung 

C. E. McClung, McClung 

A. A. Price, Argo Circular saw and planer. 

Jones Brothers, Meadow Bluff Circular saw and planer. 

Pillsbury Brothers, Russellville Stave saw. 

M, L. Kirschner, Alderson Circular saw. 

I. L. Bivens, Blue Sulphur " 

Floyd Bennett, Smoot " 

Bert. Hudsonpillar, Dawson " 

W. A. Hedrick, Fort Spring 

J. E. Hunter, Fort Spring 

A. L. Davis, Alderson 

Donaldson Lumber Co., Anthony " 

Kendall-Deter Lumber Co., Anthony " 

J. C. Moorehead, Tuckahoe " 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



447 



HAMPSHIRE COUNTY 

James A. Hannas, Three Churches Circular saw. 

C. E. Wolford, Augusta ** 

Stephen Hannas, Shanks " 

I. N. Baker & Co., Romney 

T. F. Martin, Romney 

Alex. Everett, Romney " 

W. J. Powell, Romney 

James F. Smith, Hoy " 

HANCOCK COUNTY. 

Edward Anderson, HoUidays Cove Circular saw. 

John ° A. Martin, New Cumberland Circular saw. 

Paul Stewart, New Cumberland Circular saw and stave mill. 

Thomas Geible, Chester Stave saw. 

Talbot Brothers, Chester ** 

Hendershot & Hoy, Chester " 



HARDY COUNTY. 

Wm. Conrad, Wardensville. . 
R. C. Anderson, T\"ardensville 

H. D. Reed, McCauley 

James Teets, Baker 

George Grady, Lost River.... 

B. H. Cullers, Mathias 

Roy Welton, Moorefield 

J. H. Rogers, Moorefield 

Milton Vetter, Moorefield 

HARRISON COUNTY. 

A. D. Mitchell, Clarksburg 

Garrison & Barnes, Clarksburg 

Geo. W. Webb, Wallace 

J. L. Ferren, Mt. Clare 

William Miller, Shinnston 

B. F. Odell, Watt 



JACKSON COUNTY. 



Daniel Sayre, Angerona Circular saw. 

W. L. Sayre, Goldtown 

G. W. Anderson, Alpin 

Elda Hyre, Shatto 

Benjamin Hunt, Angerona 

Mclntyre Brothers, Angerona... 

Rhodes & Tolley, Bell Grove 

J. R. Cunningham, Bell Grove. . . 
J. R. Kester & Son, Ravenswood 

D. W. Carney, Ripley 

Ross Mill Co., Millwood 



.Circular saw. 



.Circular saw. 



448 



WOOD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 



JEFFERSON COUNTY. 



Thos. C. Frazier, Charlestown Circular saw. 

Charles Kidwiller, Bakerton 

D. B. Shoemaker, Ripon " 

W. S. Martin, Shepherdstown Stationary mill. 



KANAWHA COUNTY. 

Amer. Column & Lumber Co., St Albans. Band saw. 

D. G. Courtney, Charleston " 

Bowman Lumber Co., St. Albans " 

Knight Lumber Co., Sattes " 

Mohler Lumber Co., Lock Seven " 

Robert Dawson, Angel Circular saw. 

Watson & Gillespie, Rome " 

J. D. Powell, Green View 

A. W. Moses, Racine " 

Steinbeck & Osborne, Blakely 

The Charleston Lumber Co., Charleston. .Circular saw and planer. 
Ferrell & Coleman, Standard Circular saw. 

LEWIS COUNTY. 

W. E. Mick & Sons, Ireland Circular saw. 

W. W. Smith, Jane Lew 

W. P. Shock, Duffy " 

S. B. Byrd, Weston 

J. W. Marsh, Weston 

Lloyd Woofter, Alum Bridge " 

H. Holsberry, Gaston " 

Lewis Morrison, Berlin " 

Hall, Robinson & White, Freemansburg. . " 

Simmons & Gum, Churchville " 

Moore & Mick, Crawford " 

Harry Alfred, Weston " 

Wm. Burr, Weston " 

LINCOLN COUNTY. 

Linville & Lovejoy, Bernie Circular saw. 

S. V. Mullins, Mud 

Hager, Duty & Mullins, Bulger " 

C. W. Dement, Allen 

Josh. Sawyer, Branchland " 

J. W. Adkins, Minerva " 

H. H. Saunders, Cuzzie " 

A. W. Ramey, Wewanta " 

Sherman Maiden, Rector " 

Steel Bros., Rector " 

Rudolph Roy, Leet '* 

Frank Burton, Ranger " 

Balas Bros., Sarah " 

Granville Curry, Portersville 

Neal Bros., Sod " 

Wm. Browning, Hamlin " 

Mohler Lumber Co., McCorkle " 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



449 



Geo. McCormick, McCorkle 

Floyd Justice, Train 

A. W. Young, Train 

Chas. Musgrave, Tornado 

E. M. Escue, Tango 

James Pauley, Garrettsbend 

Barger Lumber Co., Garrettsbend 

W. W. Wallace, Culloden 

Bias Bros., Sweetland 

Frank Eden, Myra 

^. P. Bell, Milton 

Yance. Hill, Garrettsbend 

Albert Oxley, Amy 

Mart Egnor, Sugartree 

Lee Green, Garrettsbend 

J. L. Carper, Griffithsville 

Joe Young, Easy 

T. A. Griffith, Snowden 

W. N. Griffith, Snowden 

P. M. McGhee, Nye 

Roll. Tackett, Garrettsbend 

Ned Davis, Woodville 

Moss Baker, Branchland 

Hurston Clay, Branchland 

R. B. Hayzlette, Branchland 

Harry Hayes, Branchland 

Messenger & Co., Sheridan 

Chas. Hunter, West Hamlin 

A. R. Sansom, Bulger 

B. Johnson & Son, Leet 

W .W. Baker, Hamlin 

W. P. Black & Son, Myra 

LOGAN COUNTY. 

The Dimension Lumber Co., Ethel Band saw. 

The United States Coal & Oil Co., Holden, 

Boone Timber Co., Clothier " 

R. E. Lee, Logan Circular saw. 

Henry Lawson, Hughey " 

Sanders Brothers, Lake " 

E. J. Hellard, Halcyon 

Mullins & Chapman, Big Creek ** 

Mcdowell county. 

The W. M. Ritter Lumber Co., Avondale.Band saw. 
Suddeth & Bailey Johnson Lumber 

Co., Welch Circular saw. 

Forest City Lumber Co., War " 

R. E. Wood Lumber Co., Rift 

Big Sandy Lumber Co., Big Sandy 

W. G. Morgan Lumber Co., Hallsville. . . 

A. T. Lusk, Antler 

Canada Day Lumber Co., Bradshaw 

United States Coal & Coke Co., Gary 

Page Coal & Coke Co., 

Upland Coal & Coke Co., Upland 

Pulaski Iron Co., North Fork 

29 



■Circular saw. 



« 
« 

u 

Circular saw and grist. 



(( << 
« « 

Circular saw and planer. 



450 



WOOD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 



MARION COUNTY. 

Swisher & Michaels, Rivesville Circular saw. 

James Criss, Mannington " 

Ernest Lemley, Granttown " 

H. H. Lemley, Fairmont " . 

G. W. Wright, Worthington 

H. R. Martin, Farmington 



MARSHALL COUNTY. 

R. T. Wetzel, Glen Easton Circular saw. 

Jackson Brothers, Howard " 

Samuel Arnold, Graysville 

Jackson Wise, Roshys Rock 

Kinsey Huggans, Moundsville 

Crawford & Long, Belton 

Charles Aston, Moundsville 

Charles Lydick, Moundsville 

MASON COUNTY. 

J. H. Selby, Santown Circular saw. 

T. W. Morrison, Pt. Pleasant 

MERCER COUNTY. 

Bluestone Land & Lumber Co., Gardner. .Band saw. 

Carr Lumber Co., Giatto Circular saw, 

Johnson Lilly, Princeton " 

W. D. Huffman, Lashmeet " 

Scott Cook, Lashmeet " 

J. R. Caldwell, Kegley 

Noah Payne, Matoka " 

W. J. Lyon, Spanishburg " 

B. L Snyder, Pride 

Nichols & Oxley, Athens 

W. L. G. McKinsey, Athens " 

M. F. Ellison, Pride 

John Perdue, Giatto " 

J. A. Vest, Rock 

Wilson Snyder, Rock " 

Jacob Walker, Plat Top " 

C. W. Fielder, Kegley 

Kinzer & Kinzer. Matoka " 

Canaday Shrewsberry, Lashmeet " 

Marion Foley, Matoka " 

J. W. Wyatt, Spanisburg " 

Wm. Bruce, Hatcher '* 

Wm. Ayers, Oakvale " 

G. G. Thomas, Willowton " 

B. P. White, Princeton " 

Davis & Campbell, Willowton " 

N. A. Boggess, Athens " 

L. E. White, Hatcher « 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



MINERAL COUNTY. 

F. H. Lense & Bros., Alaska ( ircular saw. 

Adam Spencer, Alaska 

Geo. Ward, Alaska " 

John Sneathen & Sons, Alaska 

Baker Ward, Knobley 

Labon Riley, Alaska 

Geo. Wagoner, Alaska 

Wm. Wagoner & Bros., Alaska " 

Seymour Whip, Burlington " 

Perry Biser, Headsville " 

Joe Leatherman, Headsville " 

John Gurdner, Elk Garden " 

W. E. Welch, Antioch 

V. S. Welch, Antioch. 

Edward Rawlings, Antioch 

Wilber Welch, Antioch 

MINGO COUNTY. 

Prendergast Lumber Company, Rapp....Band saw. 
J. S. Walker Lumber Company, Okeeffe. .Band saw. 

Davis Lumber Company, Lindsey Circular saw. 

F. M. Massie, Matewan " 

Guy White, Williamson , . . 

Boothe & Talbot, Merrimac " 

H. Bazzell, Buttercup " 

John W. Riley, Williamson 

T. J. Martin & Company, Kermit " 

Zat Ellis, Gilbert 

Cain Scott, Chataroy " 

Williamson Coal & Coke Co., Williamson. " 

W. A. Harris Lumber Co., Williamson. .. Circular saw and planer. 

MONONGALIA COUNTY. 

L. S. Birch, Charlotte 

Brookout & Duff, Dellslow 

J. A. Conley, Morgantown 

Chas. E. Cox, St. Leo 

John F. Cress, Rohr 

John H. Davis, Smithfield, Pa 

A. F. Fleming, Morgantown 

Dennis Fox, Mt. Morris 

Uriah L. Griffith, Morgantown 

Thos. Jackson & Sons, Little Falls 

Lester Karns, Independence 

W. L. Keck, Amos 

D. E. & T. Lemley, Cassville 

W. C. Ley, Morgantown 

J. S. Matheson, Hagans 

Lemley Martin, Mt. Morris 

P. W. Moore, Amos 

Voigt McClure, Pentress .... 

James S. McClure, Morgantown . . . 

Earl Pixler, Morgantown 

Geo. M. Thorn, Independence 

Tri-State Lumber Co., Sturgisson 

A. J. Walker, Morgantown 

Watson Bros., Independence 



Circular saw. 



452 



WOOD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 



MONROE COUNTY. 

Crimson Springs Lumber Co., Crimson S. .Circular saw. 

Persinger Brothers, Union " 

B. P. Beamer, Pickaway 

Neal & McGuire, Gap Mills 

Potts Valley Lumber Co., Waiteville. . . . " 

Vance & Lucas, Waiteville " 

A. J. Young, Pickaway 

Cook Brothers, Sinks Grove 

J. W. Owens, Chalybeate, Va 

W. F. Lockhart, Chalybeate, Va 

A. W. Williams, Gap Mills 

J. T. G. Miller, Sinks Grove 

H. Willis & Son, Rock Camp 

Charles Daugherty, Cashmere " 

George Lewis, Waiteville " 

Doss & Bradley, Waiteville 

Geo. T. Kesler, Greenville 

Broyles & Broyles, Lindside 

Clarence Symns, Lindside 

James Comer & Co., Wikel " 

J. M. Warren, Lindside 

H. B. Spangler, Peterstown " 

Terry & Shue, Peterstown " 

E. A. Smith, Perterstown 

James Rice, Peterstown " - 

W. W. Dunn, Peterstown " 

The Hickory Handle Co., Kellyville 

Martin Brothers, Orchard " 

E. M. Davis, Union Circular saw and planer. 

John A. Campbell, Union " " 

Robert Arnett, Lillydale 

Mann & Mann, Wikel Stave saw. 

A. Knabb & Co., Peterstown Stave saw. 

MORGAN COUNTY. 
Joseph Miller's Sons, Berkeley Springs. .Circular saw. 

Michaels Brothers, Berkeley Springs.... " 

Samuel Gantt, Cherry Run " 

Jacob Piles, Cherry Run " 

Harry McBee, Berkeley Springs " 

Leonard Yost, Berkeley Springs " 

Frances Unger, Oakland " 

Norval Dick, Ungers Store " 

Newton Unger, Ungers Store " 

J. B. Newbraugh, Stotlers Cross Roads.. " 

Preston Newbraugh, Stotlers Cross Rds.. " 

West. Shirley, Berkeley Springs " 

Price T. Noland, Great Cacapon " 

A. C. Spring, Great Cacapon " 

John Spriggs, Magnolia " 

E. E. Dawson, Berkeley Springs 

Perry McCool, Paw Paw " 

Newton Michael, Berkeley Springs " 

Charles Spriggs, Berkeley Springs 

Scott Davison, lingers Store " 

Lutterell Brothers, Ungers Store " 

Wm. Shade, Ungers Store 



WEST VIEGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



453 



NICHOLAS COUNTY. 



Cherry River Boom & Lumber Co., 

Richwood 2 Band saw mills. 

Pardee & Curtin Lumber Co., Curtin 3 Band saw mills. 

Fen wick Lumber Co., Fenwack Band saw mills. 

The Weston Lumber Co., Allington " 

Tioga Lumber Co., Tioga " 

Flynn Lumber Co., Swiss " 

West Virginia Timber Co., Vaughan 

Woodbine Lumber Co., Woodbine " 

Thornhill Lumber Co., Cranberry Circular saw. 

Joseph Hill, Lockwood " 

Joseph Cavendish, Summersville 

Thos. McCutcheon, Gad 

C. W. Carnifax, Hookersville 

David Fletcher, Delphi 

Morris Brothers Conrad 

Jettus Mollohan, Birch River 

Crawford & Ervin, Hookersville " 

C. H. Smoot, Craigsville 

E. R. McCutcheon, Gilboa Circular saw and planer. 

Jacob Moses, Pool " 

McClung & Jones, Mt. Lookout " " 

Daniel Brock, Summersville " " 

Henry Campbell, Summersville " " 



OHIO COUNTY. 



John Taggart, West Alexander, Pa Circular saw. 



PENDLETON COUNTY. 



G. J. Sponaugle, Franklin Circular saw. 

Henry Harper & Co. Circleville " 

Mitchell Brothers, Sugar Grove " 

A. D. Simmons, Riverton " 

T. A. Hively, Brandy wine 

Fulst & Propst, Mitchell 

Bland Brothers, Riverton 

John & Isaac Harman, Kline 

L. W. Dunkle, Deer Run 

Waggy Brothers, Mitchell 

Charles Day, Fort Seybert 

Hoover & Rexroad, Mitchell 

C. B. Simmons, Ruddle 

W. H. Rexroad & Co., Brandywine 

Amby Harper & Son, Cave 

I. D. Hammer, Franklin Sash saw. 

B. S. Hammer, Franklin 

Isaac Propst, Moyer " 

A. R. Lough, Kline 



454 



WOOD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 



PLEASANTS COUNTY. 

Dunn & McTaggart, Schultz Circular 

Locke & Simonton, Adlai " 

W. L. Locke, Pincli 

F. P. Locke, Crisp " 

Cox & Butler, Crisp " 

M. E. Kidder, Lytton " 

POCAHONTAS COUNTY. 

Wildell Lumber Co., Wildell Band saw. 

Giimian, Neil & Co., May 

Pocahontas Lumber Co., Burner " 

Newell Brothers Lumber Co., Braucher. . " 

P. L. & W. F. Brown, Madeline " 

Geo. Craig & Son, Winterburn 

Flint, Erving & Stoner, Dunlevie " 

Brushy Run Lumber Co., Boyer " 

West Virginia Spruce Lumber Co., Cass. " 

Deer Creek Lumber Co., Cass " 

Campbell Lumber Co., Marlinton " 

Tomb Lumber Co., Watoga " 

Warn Lumber Co., Millpoint " 

John Raine Lumber Co., Millpoint " 

Sweet, Lilly Lumber Co., Braucher Circular saw. 

A. G. Miller & Brother, Braucher 

Bartow Lumber Co., Bartow " 

W. W. Whitehill, Durbin 

H. J. Wilmoth & Sons, Boyer 

H .J. Wilmoth & Sons, Hosterman " 

A. G. Miller & Brother, Cass 

Beuna Vist» Hardwood Lumber Co., " 

Stony Bottom 

H. E. Nixon, Dunmore " 

DeRan Lumber Co., Clover Lick " 

W, W. Dempsey, Big Run " 

Harter Brothers, Harter " 

Brown, Depp & Swanson, Marlinton " 

Marlinton Lumber Co., Marlinton " 

Limestone Lumber Co., Marlinton " 

N. S. Duffield, Onoto 

Ira Irvin, Warwick '* 

W. H. Shearer, Onoto " 

Withrow McClintic, Buckeye 

David Barnes, Buckeye " 

H. M. Lockridge. Huntersville " 

H. A. Slear, Millpoint 

Deer Creek Lumber Co., Millpoint " 

Smith & Payne, Seebert " 

Kidd, Kirby & Lilly, Beard 

Hazelwood Lumber Co., Dunmore " 

PRESTON COUNTY. 

Wm. Riley, Cranesville Circular saw. 

Tri-State Lumber Co., Sutherland 

Kingwood Lumber Co., Caddell 

Gibson Lumber Co., Masontown " 

Port Pitt Lumber Co., Whetsell 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



E. Vansickel, Albright jCircular saw. 

Geo. Hayes, Rowlesburg ** 

Tanner Brothers, Kingwood " 

Felix Wolf, Kingwood 

E. W. Britton, Newburg 

L. H. Goff, Kingwood 

Borgman & Korte, Howesville " 

Geo. N. DeWitt, Kingwood 

J. V. Gibson, Tunnelton 

Ridgway Brothers, Kingwood....." 

T. P. Weaver, Howesville 

W. B. Williams, Tunnelton 

E. S. Brown, Reedsville 

J. E. Cress, Masontown 

S. P. Lyons, Masontown 

Thos. M. Ohara, Reedsville " 

I. N. Roby, Masontown " 

H. F. Shaffer, Masontown " 

Thos. N. Tanner, Reedsville " 

J. A. Bucy, Independence " 

I. A. J. Cox, Independence 

C. A. Banks, Newburg " 

Wm. A. Banks, Independence " 

W. R. Bemoss, Newburg " 

Wm. H. Hebb, Newburg " 

John L. Holmes, Independence ** 

Lucas & Bemoss, Newburg " 

B. F. Sapp, Independence " 

Baylor & Watts, Newburg • *' 

Wm. H. Cool, Tunnelton '* 

Stanton Bemoss, Newburg " 

Geo. A. Funk, Tunnelton " 

O. L. Harvey, Newburg " 

S. A. Price, Rowlesburg " 

M. M. Ridenour, Tunnelton " 

Geo. W. Shaver, Rowlesburg " 

Geo. E. Sidwell, Newburg " 

Frank Tenney, Rowlesburg " 

C. F. Smouse, Cumberland, Md " 

Forman Brothers, Valley Point 

Tanner & Shaffer, Valley Point 

Miller & Otto, Albright 

Homer Tichenell, Albright 

O. F. & O. S. Walls, Pisgah 

P. V. Nedrow, Summerfield " 

Bearbower Brothers, Glade Farms " 

J. B. McCormick, Eglon " 

J. R. & B. F. Teets, Aurora 

Roy C. Lantz, Eglon 

E. J. & B. A. Sell, Horseshoe Run 

F. Mertin's Sons, Cumberland, Md 

Katharine Watkins, Aurora 

Noah Snyder, Aurora 

Henline, Brother & Son, Aurora 

B. W. Sanders, Rowlesburg 

Ira C. Stemple, Amblersburg 

Preston Nine, Eglon 

Fort Pitt Lumber Co., Moreland 



456 



WOOD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 



Ramsey & Steele, Albright Circular saw. 

Charles H. Freeland, Terra Alta 

Geo. Freeland, Terra Alta " 

Perley DeBerry, Terra Alta " 

J. W. & J. A. Fauber, Caddell 

C. W. Mason & Son, Aurora ** 

Wm. A. Knotts, Aurora " 

Peter P. Spiker, Eglon 

Lloyd Dawson, Eglon 

J. I. Zinn, Reedsville 

Chester Beatty, Caddell " 

Gus. Barker, Kingwood " 

Elmer Martin, Albright " 

O. F. Farquer, Rowlesburg 

Elzy Brothers, Amboy " 

Hallie Wolf, Tunnelton 

H. B. Wilhelm, Terra Alta Sash saw. 

A. Knabb & Co., Clifton Mills Stave mill. 

James Freeland, Terra Alta Circular saw and planer. 

Allen Forman, Amboy Circular saw, shingle mill and 

planer. 

Fike Brothers, Eglon Circular saw and planer. 

John D. Evans, Clifton Mills " 

Bruceton Milling Co., Bruceton Mills " " 

PUTNAM COUNTY. 

J. P. Rhodes, Winfield Circular saw. 

Dr. C. McGill, Red House 

Geo. Fowler, Red House " 

Robert Coleman, Liberty " 

John & Lewis Carney, Poca " 

Homer Thornton, Buffalo 

Gates Brothers, Buffalo " 

Daniel Sayre, Buffalo " 

W. H. Jeffries, Extra 



RALEIGH COUNTY. 

Blue Jay Lumber Co., Blue Jay Band saw mill. 

W. M. Ritter Lumber Co., Dugout Band saw mill. 

American Column & Lumber Co., Colcord.Band saw mill. 

Geo. W. Bair, Beckley Circular saw. 

J. B. Earwood, Beckley " 

George French, Harper " 

A. Daniel, Harper " 

Harper & Wingrove, Sweeneyburg " 

James Shumate, Dameron Circular saw and stave mill. 

RANDOLPH COUNTY. 

Moore-Keppel Lumber Co., Ellamore Band saw. 

Holly Lumber Co., Pickens " 

Elkins Pail & Lumber Co., Elkins " 

Tygart River Lumber Co., Mill Creek " 

Brown & Hill, Montes " 

J. M. Bemis & Sons, Bemis " 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



Glady Fork Lumber Co., Glady Band saw. 

Wheeler Lumber Co., Glady " 

Raine-Andrews Lumber Co., Evenwood. . " 
Laurel River Lumber Co., Jenningston . . " 
Perley & Crockett Lumber Co., Jen- 
ningston 

United Lumber Co., Hazel wood " 

Parsons Pulp & Lumber Co., Horton '* 

Parsons Pulp & Lumber Co., Laneville.. " 

McClure, Tyson & Irvin, Glady 

Wyoming Lumber Co., Kerstetter " 

Hench, Dromjold & ShuU, Mill Creek. . .Circular saw. 

Woodrow Lumber Co., Woodrow 

Koontz, Phillips & Stam, Gladwin " 

D. E. Lutz, Elkins 

Keystone Mfg. Co., Elkins " 

Smith Lumber Co., Elkins " 

Curry-Bitner Lumber Co., Mabie " 

H. J. Poe, Elkins 

R. M. McMillan, Elkins 

Deahl Lumber Co., Elkins 

W. H. Mabie, Mabie 

W. M. Heil, Mabie » 

B. R. Slagle & Sons, Mabie 

Roaring Creek Lumber Co., Kingsville.. " 
H Markley, Kingsville " 

RITCHIE COUNTY. 

C. L. Ferguson, Pullman 

C. E. Fleming, Harrisville 

D. B. Cunningham, Pennsboro 

J. A. Veach, Pennsboro 

Grant Stewart, Highland 

Sinnett & Cowen, Washburn . . 
J. A. Zinn, Harrisville 

ROANE COUNTY 

John Starcher, Linden .... 

v. A. Ledsom, Bright 

J. H. Parker, Kester 

W. V. Carper, Kester 

Tolly Mill Co., Walton 

Wm. Swiney, Walton 

S. J. Drake, Newton 

Thos. Smith, Uler 

J. M. Dye, Latch 

Jaines Dawson, Spencer . . . 

John Blosser, Reedy 

Preston Short, Pasco 

Peter Millhone, Penile 

Irvin Snodgrass, Reedy... 

Samuel Conley, Pasco 

Thomas Drake, Looneyville 

C. A. Goff, Spencer 

V. A. Ledsom, Bright 

H. H. Miller, Looneyville.. 
Carter Oil Co., Richardson. 



Circular saw. 



.Circular saw 



458 



WOOD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 



SUMMERS COUNTY. 



Commonwealth Lumber Co., Glenray . . . .Band saw. 
H. Guinn & Son, Green Sulphur Springs, .Circular saw. 

Z. V. Burks, Bell Point 

J. J. Vest, Farley 

Scott Brothers, Talcott 

E. P. Vandal, Elton 

John Bowland, Brooks " 

Indian -Mill Supply Co., Indian Mills " 

David Welder, Marie " 

D. G. Ballengee, Clayton " 

Jackson Grimmett, Lowell " 

Thomas Ballengee, Ballengee " 

Taylor & Wood, Forest Hill 

Charles Sanders, Forest Hill " 

E. H. Harris, Hinton " 

Hinton-Belva Realty Co., Bell Point " 

C. B. Burks, Tophet 

Eskew & Petrey, Tophet *' 

"Walker & Wood, Tophet 

J. H. Hehns, Brooklyn " 

Lilly Lumber Co., New Richmond 

Houchin & McClung, Jumping Branch.. 

Bluestone Lumber Co., Lilly Circular saw and stave mill. 

Jordan Taylor, Forest Hill... 

E. W. Spangler, Indian Mills 

The Wm. James Sons Co., Hinton Circular saw and planer. 



TAYLOR COUNTY. 



Bush Lumber Co., Grafton Circular saw and stave mill. 

M. E. Bush, Grafton " " 

Watson & Watson, Independence " ** 

Dilworth & Brother, Astor " " 

Reynolds & Morrow, Flemington Circular saw. 

Knight & Barker, Simpson ** 

G. W. Shafer, Webster 

C. J. Tucker & Brc, Webster 

Brown & Goodwin, Grafton " 

T. F. Henry, Boothsville 

Keener & Co., Grafton " 

I. W. McDaniel, Grafton 

T. O. Jacobs, Grafton 

R. S. Rogers, Grafton 

DeMoss-Travis Lumber Co., Thornton... " 

J. W. Baylor, Thornton 

J. C. Shroyer, Thornton 

J. A. Poe & Brother, Grafton 

Watts & Evans, Newburg 

G. M. Thorn & Brother, Independence... " 

J. B. Kerns, Independence " 

Geo. W. Mays, Thornton " 

A. B. Current, Thornton 

J. W. DeMoss & Son, Thornton 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



TUCKER COUNTY. 



Babcock Lumber & Boom Co., Davis.... 2 Band saw mills. 
Otter Creek Boom & Lumber Co...... 

Hambleton Band saw. 

Elk Lick Lumber Co.. Hambleton " 

R. Chaffey, William 

Demp-Bell Lumber Co., Hendricks 

S. D. Sberrick Lumber Co., Henricks 

Clover Run Lumber Co., Parsons Circular saw. 

Scott Lumber Co., Red Creek " 

E. A. Nestor, Hovatter Circular saw and planer. 



TYLER COUNTY. 

Ed. Sanders, Sistersville Circular saw. 

E. Curry, Middlebourne 

G. D. Dalison, Middlebourne 

Vernon Delo, Alma " 

Ralph Sweeney, Shirley Circular saw and planer. 

W. H. Huth & Son, Middlebourne 

J. H. Pierpont, Next Water mill. 



UPSHUR COUNTY. 



Croft Lumber Company, Alexander Band saw. 

Buchanan Lumber Company, Frenchton. .Circular saw. 

E. G. Wilson, Kanawha Head 

Henry McQuain, Rock Cave 

R. G. Smith & Brother, Frenchton 

Hawker Lumber Company, Buckhannon . . " 

J. Alkire, Canaan " 

Weston Lumber Company, Indian Camp . . " 

A. W. Tenney & Son, Tenmile 

David Woody, Selbyville 

I. A. Stalnaker, Buckhannon 

W. O. Grim, Queens 

G. F. Stockert & Son, Buckhannon 

Stockert & Bailey, Holly Grove 

Pittsburg-Kanawha Lumber Company, 

Buckhannon 

Kirke Tillett, Hall 

Wellington Thomas, Canaan 

Phillips Brothers, Selbyville 

Wyatt Gregory, Canaan 

Charles Hollen, Queens 

W. F. Hollen, Queens " 

E. N. Phillips, Tallmansville 

Alonzo Outright, Queens 

Parley Zickefoose, Hemlock 

Benton Queen, Newlonton 

Mountain State Lumber Co., Tenmile... 
C. E. Hiner, Buckhannon 

Leo Brown, Frenchton Circular saw and planer. 

H. Fidler, Arlington ■ Circular saw and planer. 

C. E. Queen, Rock Cave Circular saw and planer. 



460 WOOD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 

WAYNE COUNTY. 

Al. Cline & Co., Jennie Circular saw. 

G. W. Workman, Echo 

D. H. Hanshaw, Crum " 

W. C. Crum, Crum 

C. D. Williamson, Crum 

D. Reed, Pharaoh 

John Workman, Echo " 

J. R. Freiner, East Lynn 

M. A. Kreig, Kiahsville 

Matt. Napier, East Lynn " 

Stratton & Dameron, Centerville " 

Ramey & Sanders, Nestlow " 

Enoch Childers, Booton 

Frank Fry, Stiltner 

C. W. Thompson, Echo 

L. B. Ferguson, Wayne Circular saw and planer. 

J. E. Newman Lavelette Circular saw and planer. 

WEBSTER COUNTY. 



Cherry River Boom & Lumber Co., Band saw. 

Camden-on-Gauley 

Mayton Lumber Co., Hackers Valley.... 

Belle-Mead Lumber Co., Addison " 

Smoot Lumber Co., Cowen " 

New Dominion Lumber Co., Diana Circular saw. 

Webster Springs Lumber Co., Addison.. " 

James Elbon, Addison " 

J. P. White, Addison 

Payne Brothers, Bolair 

Chipps Lumber Co., Haynes 

Lee Gad, ly^arcus 

Hollister & Detamore, Cowen 

Charles Cunningham, Upper Glade " 

Anis Boggs, Boggs 

John Doddrill, Cowen 

J. W. Mills, Cowen 

Samp. Hamrick, Samp Water power saw mill. 

WETZEL COUNTY.- 



W. T. Francis, Smithfield Circular saw. 

Henry Fisher, Smithfield " 

J. L. Brown, Burchfield 

Robinson Improvement Co., Smithfield . . 

John M. Hart, Hastings " - 

Jesse Snider, Lowman 

Paulhamus & Moon, Smithfield 

Koonts & Phillips, New Martinsville 

Clark & Harris, Jacksonburg 

Wm. Wyatt, Jacksonburg 

Hunt & Harker, Hundred 

Wm. Marshall & Co., Littleton 

J. C. Briggs, New Martinsville " 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 
WIRT COUNTY. 



W. M. & J. G. Merrill, Creston Circular saw. 

Alvin Ahart, Evelyn " 

J. M. Lee, Palestine 

T. J. Lee, Palestine " 

A. B. Huffman, Palestine " 

Ernest Morrison, Elizabeth " 

W. H. Carpenter, Newark " 

Samuel Smith, Burning Springs " 

John Foutty, Newark " 

Bert Sheppard, Palestine " 

M. ,L. Righter, Sanoma " 

J. P. Darnell, Preeport Circular saw and planer. 

G. W. Righter, Sanoma Circular saw and planer. 



WOOD COUNTY. 

Parkershurg Mill Co., Parkersburg Band saw. 

Alex. Cochran, Belleville Circular saw. 

H. D. Dye, Roosevelt 

Kirks Mill Co., Parkersburg 

Nicollette Lumber Co., Nicollette " 

Wilson & Sons, Parkersburg " 



WYOMING COUNTY. 



The W. M. Ritter Lumber Co., Maben Band saw. 

Keys-Fannin Lumber Co., Herndon Band saw. 

E. H. Suddeth Lumber Co., Woosley Circular saw. 

T. H. Lambert, Pineville 

Silas Goode, Saulsville " 

Wm. Stewart, Jesse *' 

D. C. Brooks, Trent 

Miles Burgess, Swope " 

Henry Cline, Baileyville " 

W. S. Toler, Sun Hill 

L. A. Walker, Sun Hill 

T. S. Morgan, Guyan " 

M. P. McGraw, McGraws 

A. R. Wittenberg, Pineville " 

T. E. Rutherford, Pineville 

James Cozort, Rock View " 

Lemuel Goode, Newfound " 

W. G. Lambert, Mullins 

Powell, Lusk & Sons, Herndon " 

J. P. Pisher, Oceana " 

C. A. Hambrick, Oceana " 

G. E. Lambert, Pineville Circular saw and planer. 

J. S. Lambert, Key Rock, Circular saw and planer. 



CHAPTER X 



RECOMMENDATIONS. 

The preceding chapters of this report set forth the present 
condition of the West Virginia forests ; suggest some of the ways 
in which they are useful and reasons for their preservation; and 
point out some of the ways in which they are being needlessly in- 
jured and destroyed. It is evident that a knowledge of these 
things, and even a much more thorough acquaintance with condi- 
tions than can be gained from these pages, will benefit no one un- 
less it is productive of better laws for the protection of our for- 
ests and of better methods for their more conservative manage- 
ment. With this purpose in view, therefore, the following rec- 
ommendations are made : 

Forestry Laws Recommended. 

It is recommended that a law be enacted providing for the 
appointment of a state forester and prescribing his duties from 
the list below. 

1. — Carrying on an educational campaign throughout the 
State, by preparing and distributing printed matter, 
by speaking at farmers' and teachers' institutes and 
other public meetings, and by cooperating with in- 
structors in forestry at the State University. 
2. — Advising private land owners in reference to better 
management of woodlots and timber tracts. 

3. — Executing laws for the control of forest fires. 

4. — Examination of lands belonging to the State, or that 

may become the property of the State, for the pur- 
pose of determining whether such lands should be 
retained for forestry purposes. 

5. — Collecting information regarding forests, forest trees, 

and forest products, and making a study of the in- 
dustries carried on by saw mills and other wood- 
working establishments. 

6. — Preparation of a biennial report. 



WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



463 



It is suggested that the state forester should be appointed 
by and should act at the will of some existing board or of a 
forestry board or commission to be created by law. (See list of 
governing boards in other states near the end of Chapter VII.) 

It is recommended that the Forest, Game and Fish Laws of 
1909 be amended so as to take the execution of that part of the 
law relating to the suppression of forest fires from among the 
duties of the Forest, Game and Fish Warden and transfer the 
same to the duties of a state forester. 

In order to encourage the planting of land in forest trees, 
it is recommended that a law be enacted exempting from taxa- 
tion for a period of years such lands as may be planted accord- 
ing to carefully prepared specifications, or a law providing for a 
scale of rebates on lands so planted. (Connecticut, New Hamp- 
shire, and other states, have made satisfactory tests of the laws 
proposed.) 

It is recommended that West Virginia give its consent, by 
the enactment of law, to the acquisition by the United States 
Government by purchase or gift or condemnation according to 
law such non-agricultural lands within the mountainous region 
of the State as may be needed in the establishment of a National 
Forest. 

It is recommended that the Governor of West Virginia be 
empowered by law to accept in the name of the State any gifts 
of land suitable for forestry purposes. 

Suggestions to Private Land Owners. 

To the owners of cut-over forest lands the course marked 
out in the following communication from the West Virginia 
Pulp and Paper Company, dated August 24th, 1910, is hereby 
highly recommended : 

We planted on our lands on Shavers Fork 
of Cheat river about 170,000 young spruces and 1,000 or 2,000 
poplars this year. Last year we planted about 25,000 spruce 
seedlings and our judgment is that about 80 per cent of them are 
growing. Of course at the present time we cannot tell much 
about the latest planting in spruce because of the excessive un- 



464 RECOMMENDATIONS. 

der growth completely covering the small trees, but we have 
reason to expect that at least a large proportion of them will 
grow this year as did last. 

''We are very greatly interested in the reproduction of for- 
ests on our property and it is our present intention to do every- 
thing in our power in the future to save and propagate the tim- 
ber. We are leaving all the small timber under about 10 inches 
at the stump and that portion which we have cut over is rapidly 
reproducing itself. Our planting is confined to locations where 
there has either been some fire or on which there was no stand of 
spruce. We confidently believe that if the fire can be kept out of 
the old slashings that our property will reproduce itself rapidly 
and that by the time we have lumbered over it, it will be possible 
to go over it again, and while of course we will not be able to se- 
cure the quantity of large lumber, we can make the crops per- 
petual for pulp.'' 

In sections where planting is not necessary it is recom- 
mended that at least some effort be made on the part of owners 
to encourage the natural reproduction of valuable species of 
trees. The most effective means to this end is the prevention of 
forest fires — a work impossible for the State without the ener- 
getic cooperation of railroads, lumber companies and others. A 
good stand and growth of desirable young trees can be en- 
couragd further by leaving a sufficient number of seed trees and 
by clearing away brush and undesirable species of shrubs and 
trees. 

Within a comparatively few years the many thousands of 
acres of rough woodlot land belonging to farmers must be looked 
to as one of the principal sources of timber in the State. It is 
suggested, therefore, that such areas in connection with farms 
as are now overgrown with worthless vegetation be made to 
grow locusts, chestnuts, or other fast-growing trees suited to the 
various localities. 



INDEX. 



A. 

PAGE. 



Abram Creek 142 

Addis Run 267 

Alabama 323 

Alexander Lumber Co 298 

Alderson, Geo. H 219 

Alleghany Front 8, 142 

Allen, Benj 141 

Alton 297 

Alton Lumber Co 299 

Alvy 289 

American Column & Lumber 

Co 259 

Anderson, J. M 180 

Animal Life 41 

Anthonys Creek 146 

Appalachian Province 134 

Applegate's mill 121 

Arbor Vitae (Thuya occident- 

alis) 376 

Arbuckle Creek 135 

Arlington 293 

Armstrong, B. F 163 

Arnold 176 

Arnold Creek 133 

Ash: 

Black (Fraxinus nigra) 420 

Green (Fraxinus Pennsylva- 

nica var. lanceolata) 421 

Mountain (Sortus Americ- 
ana) 404 

White (Fraxinus Americana) 420 

Atkinson, Geo. W 169 

Auburn Wagon Co 110 

Aurora 251 

B. 

Babcock Lumber & Boom Co. . . 287 
Bachman, Martin 235 

to 



PAGE. 



Backbone Mt 279 

Back Creek 109, 210 

Bair, Geo. 259 

Baker Lumber Co 204 

Bald Knob 174, 237 

Balsam Fir (AMes Fraseri) . . . 375 

Baltimore & Ohio R. R 61 

Band Saw Mills 65 

Barbour County 106 

Barboursville 122 

Bark Beetles 89 

Bark Diseases 78 

Barker, Gus 208 

Barnhart, Louis 254 

Barnum 202 

Bartlett, J. R 141 

Basswood (TiJia heterophylla) . 416 
Basswood (Tilia Americana) ... 416 

Bayard 143 

Bayards Knob 237 

Bear Run 268 

Beartown Creek 186 

Beatty Lumber Co 259 

Beaver Creek (Nicholas) 217 

Beaver Creek (Tucker) 280 

Beaver Hole 208 

Beckley 259 

Beckwith, Joel 269 

Beckwith Stave Co 199 

Bee Lick Knob 135 

Beech (Fagus Americana) . . . 387 

Beech Fork 124 

Behmyer Mill 172 

Belington 108 

Belmont 233 

Belva 137 

Bemis, J. M. & Son 265 

Bender, J. 1 116 

Benedict's Mill 197 

Benwood 186 



466 



INDEX 



PAGE. 

Berger & HufLman 223 

Bergoo Creek 304 

Berkeley County 108 

Berkeley Run 276 

Berkeley Springs 216 

Besley, F. W 337 

Bethany 120 

Bethany College 120 

Bibby Mill 172 

Bible Knob 224 

Big Birch River 116 

Big Buffalo Creek 116 

Big Coal River 112 

Big Ditch Run 304 

Big Huff Creek 180, 318 

Big Knob 168 

Big Laurel Creek 130 

Big Mt 224 

Big Otter Creek 130 

Big Run 107 

Big Run (Pendleton) 226 

Big Sandy Creek (Clay) 130 

Big Sandy Run 300 

Big Sewell Knob 135 

Big Springs Fork 238 

Big Sycamore Creek 127 

Bingamon Creek 159 

Birch River 218, 304 

Birch: 

Black (Betula lenta) 385 

River {Betula nigra) 386 

Yellow {Betula lutea) 385 

Birds, Characteristic of Caro- 
linian Life Zone 14 

Birds, Value in Forests 42 

Birds, Lists of 232, 249 

Bitternut {Hicoria minima) . . 378 

Black Bear ' 231 

Black Lick Run 198 

Blackwater Chronicles 284 

Blackwater Boom & Lumber Co. 287 

Blackwater River 280 

Blankenship & Hoback 178 

Blankenship, T. W 219 

Blatchley, C. G 278 

Bluefield 198 



PAGE. 

Blue Creek 130 

Blue Jay Lumber Co 259 

Blue Knob Creek 131 

Blue Ridge Mts 7, 166 

Blue Sulphur Springs 147 

Bluestone River 198, 273 

Boats built at Murrayville . . . 164 

Bobs Mt 224 

Bodley, Josiah 222 

Boggs, E. L 131 

Bonar, S. H 191 

Bone Creek 268 

Bonds Creek 267 

Bonnifleld, Arnold 286 

Boone County Ill 

Boone Timber Co 114, 182 

Booths Creek 189, 206 

Boundary Line of W. Va 6 

Bowman Lumber Co 259 

Bowman's Mill 120 

Boxes manufactured 435 

Box Elder (Acer Negundo) . . 414 

Boyers, S. W 208 

Braxton County 115 

Braxton Coal & Lumber Co. . . 118 

Briery Mt 249 

Briggs' Mill 120 

Broad Creek 193 

Brooke County 119 

Brooks, Arthur 219 

Broun, Maj. Thos. L 113 

Brown, Floyd 297 

Browns Fork 203 

Brown's Mill . 121 

Brown & Hill 265 

Brush Creek 112 

Brush Creek (Mercer) 198 

Brush Run 309 

Brushy Fork 106 

Buckeye Creek 116 

Buckeye Creek (Doddridge) . . 133 
Buckeye: 

Ohio (Aesculus glabra) 415 

Sweet {Aesculus octandra).. 415 

Buckhannon Mt 174 

Buckhannon River 294 



INDEX 



467 



PAGE. 

Buckhannon River Lumber Co. 298 



Buffalo Creek (Clay) 127 

Buffalo Creek (Marion) 189 

Buffalo Creek (Logan) 179 

Buffalo Creek (Wayne) 301 

Buffalo Creek (Grant) 142 

Buffalo Creek (Brooke) 119 

Buffalo Creek (Harrison) 159 

Buffalo Hills 224 

Bull Creek 184 

Bull Creek (Pleasants) 233 

Bulltown 117 

Bundle Run 267 

Bunten, James 297 

Burner, Wm 299 

Burns Bros. & Huffman. 125, 306 

Burnsville 116 

Burnt Areas 102 

Burr's Mill 297 

Busby & Little 222 

Bush, Theodore 277 

Butternut (Juglans cinerea) . . 377 

By-products of Wood . 19 

C. 

Cabell County 122 

Cabin Creek 169 

Cacapon Mt 150, 214 

Cackleys 240 

Caldwell 147 

Calhoun County 124 

Cain, James 252 

Cain, John 268 

Cairo 269 

California 325 

'Camden-on-Gauley 219 

Camp Creek (Boone) 112 

Camp Creek (Clay) 130 

Camp Creek (Mercer) 198 

Camp Mistake Run 291 

Campbell, Bishop 120 

Campbell's Mill 120 

Canaan Mts 278 

Canaan Valley 283 

Canadian Life Zone 15 



PAGE. 



Caretta Lumber Co 187 

Carolinian Life Zone 13 

Carr, Louis 187 

Carr & McClure 187 

Carr & Nunan 187 

Cars, Mine and Log 434 

Casner's Mill 120 

Castleman Creek 121 

Caswell & Neuzem 310 

Caswell, Wm. B 316 

Catalpa Sphinx Moth 93 

Cave Mountain Section 145 

Cave Mt 224 

Cedar Creek 116, 139 

Cedar, Red (Juniperus Vir- 

giniana) 377 

Centralia 118 

Ceredo 303 

Chaney Lumber Co 130 

Chapman, J. H 118 

Character, Effect of Forests on 44 

Charleston 171 

Charleston, Clendennin & Sut- 
ton R. R 130 

Cheat Bridge 264 

Cheat Mt 262 

Cheat River 206, 250 

Cheat View 206 

Cherry: 

Black (Prunus serotina) .... 407 
Red (Prunus Pennsylvani- 

cum) 407 

Cherry River 218 

Cherry River Boom & Lumber 

Co 219 

Cherry Run 216 

Chesapeake & Ohio R. R 63 

Chester 154 

Chinquapin (Castanea purnila) 388 
Chestnut (Castanea dcntata) . . 388 

Chestnut Bark Disease 78 

Chestnut Timber Worm 91 

Clark's Mill 120 

Clay, Cecil 146 

Clay County 127 

Clear Fork 318 



468 



INDEX 



PAGE. 

Clear Creek Lumber Co. 149 

Cleared Land, Acreage and Per 

cent 100 

Clearings 49 

Clements 108 

Climate 40 

Clohan, Alex Ill 

Clothier 114 

Clover Creek 238 

Clover Run 279 

Coalburg 170 

Coal & Coke R. R 64 

Coal River 11 

Coal River Navigation Co 113 

Cobun Creek 206 

Coburn Creek 159 

Cocbran Bros 235 

Cochran Knob 174 

Coen's Mill 121 

Colcord 259 

Collett's Mt 224 

Collins, David S. Co. 131 

Commerce on W. Va. Rivers 26, 28 

Comstock's Mill 197 

Conditions by Counties 105 

Conklin, Robt. S 353 

Connecticut 326 

Control of Insects 94 

Coon Creek 116 

Cooperage 435 

Cornwallis 269 

Corrothers, J. W 208 

Cosner Gap 142 

Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) 383 

Courtney, D. G 131, 255 

Cove Mt 210 

Cow Creek 233 

Cow Run 295 

Cowen 304 

Crab Apple (Malus coronaria) 404 

Crab Creek 193 

Craig, Geo. C. & Son's plantation 104 

Cranberries 248 

Cranberry Flats 263 

Cranberry Glades 247 

Cranberry River 218, 304 



PAGE. 

Crane, C. & Co 204, 313, 319 

Crane Creek 184, 198 

Cranesville 250 

Crawley Creek 180 

Crescent Lumber Co 131 

Creston 312 

Crimson Springs Lumber Co. . . 212 

Croft Lumber Co 299 

Crooked Run 193 

Crosby-Beckley Lumber Co. ... 275 

Cross Creek 120 

Crouch, John 282 

Cucumber-tree (Magnolia acu- 
minata) 399 

Cumberland Mts 8 

Cumberland Plateau 7 

Cumberland Valley R. R m 

Cummings, Fulton 178 

Curtin, G. W 278 

Cut-over Forest Areas . . . 100, 101 
Cutright's History of Upshur 
County 296 



D. 



Daugherty, Capt. J. H 226 

I^avis, 25, 29, 280 

Davis Creek i69 

Debar, J. H. Diss 172 

Decay of Wood 69 

Deckers Creek 2O6 

Deer Creek 238 

Deforestation, Results of 32 

Delaware 328 

Dents Run 2O6 

Depew, J. W 272 

Desert Fork 304 

Destructive Agents of Forests . 48 
Destruction of Forests by 

Farmers 50 

Devereaux Lumber Co 172 

Dewing & Sons 287 

Dickens, Albert 331 

Difficult Creek 142 

Dimension Lumber Co 182 

Dingess Run 18O 



IXDEX 



469 



PAGE. 

Direct Value of Forests 17 

Diseases of Forest Trees 66 

Disease Germs 32 

District of West Augusta 220 

Dixon & Barr 302 

Dobbin 143 

Dobbin Mansion 284 

Doddridge County 132 

Dogwood: 

Alternate-leaved (Cornus al- 
ternifolia) 418 

Flowering (Cornus florida) . 418 

Donaldson Lumber Co 149 

Doolin Run 310 

Douglas 280 

Drawdy Creek 112 

Duck Creek 116, 139 

Duck Creek (Harrison) 159 

Dunlap Creek 210 

Dunloup Creek 135 

Dunmore 243 

Dunkard Creek 206 

Durbin 245 

E. 

Eads Ridge 210 

Eagle, Geo. W. & D. W 226 

Earwood, J. B 259 

East River 198 

East River Mt. 6, 197 

Eastern Panhandle 213 

Easy Mt 224 

Edwards, Wm. H 169 

Edwards, Wm. S 170 

Eighteenmile Creek 193 

Elk Creek 106, 159 

Elk River 11, 116, 304 

Elkhorn Creek 184 

Elkburst 131 

Elkhurst Planing Mill Co 131 

Elkins Pail & Lumber Co 265 

Ellenboro 269 

Elm: 

Slippery (Ulmus fulva) 397 

White (Ulmus Americana).. 397 



PAGE. 

Elmwood Mill 303 

Emory 202 

Ensign Mfg. Co 124 

Erosion 35 

Esthetic Value of Forests.. 38, 45 

Ethel 182 

Evans 163 

F. 

Fairchild, Lawhead & Co 208 

Fairfax 143 

Fairfax Stone 6 

Fall Run 116 

Falling Springs 146 

Falls Mill 116 

Farley, L. B 199 

Faulkner, J. C 110 

Fayette County 134 

Fell & Stranahan 299 

Ferguson, C. W 303 

Fidler & Huff 297 

Finish, Interior 431 

Finks Run 294 

Fires 51, 75 

First Saw Mill West of Mts. . . 59 

Fish Creek 190, 309 

Fishing 38 

Fishing Creek 309 

Fivemile Creek 193 

Fixtures 431 

Flat Boats, Construction of 113, 117 

Flat Top Mt 9 

Floating 319 

Floods in West Virginia 22 

Flowing Run 167 

Flycatcher, Alder 249 

Ford Knob 135 

Forest Fire Statistics 54. 55 

Forest Hill 273 

Forest Industries 19 

Forest Service 3. 37 

Forest Tree Diseases 66 

Forestry: 
Awakening of interest In . .. 3 
Laws Recommended 462 



470 



INDEX 



PAGE. 



Objects of 1 

Officers 365 

In the States 322 

Forests: 

Direct Value of 17 

Distribution of in W. Va. 100 

Effect on Humidity 21, 52 

Estbetic Value of 38 

Influence over Floods and 

Droughts 22 

In Relation to Health 36 

Present Condition of 98 

Purposes Maintained for ... 17 
In Relation to Animal life . . 41 
In relation to Character of 

people 44 

In Relation to Climate 40 

Fork Creek 112 

Fork Mt 279 

Fourpole Creek 122, 187 

Fowler's Mill 120 

Foxes 231 

Fox, Wm. F 344 

Frametown 117 

Frame's Mill 117 

Freedman Lumber Co 320 

Freemans Creek 174 

Fringe Tree (CJiionanthus Vir- 

ginica) 421 

French Creek (Pleasants) 235 

French Creek (Upshur) 294 

Fungi, Injuries to Trees 75 

Fungi, List of destructiv 82 

Furbee, H. H 292 

Furniture 432 

G. 

Gandy Creek ♦ 228, 263 

Gap Mills 210 

Gap Mt 210 

Garber, Jno. & Jake 244 

Garden, David 222 

Gaskill, Alfred 342 

Gauley Bridge 137 

Gauley River 304 



PAGE. 

Gazetteer of Virginia and the 



District of Columbia 59 

Germany, Forestry in 1 

Georgetown 107 

Get Out Run 295 

Giffin, A. G 298 

Gill, Jefferson 320 

Gillispie 118 

Gilmer County 139 

Gist, Christopher 194, 268 

Glade Creek 257 

Glady Fork ". . . . 263 

Glady Fork Lumber Co 265 

Glen Easton 192 

Glenray 275 

Gnatty Creek 106 

Goble, M. 319 

Goble, Peter 118 

Goose Creek 268 

Gordon, H 319 

Gorrell Run 291 

Gould, Aaron 297 

Gould, Daniel 316 

Government Forests 3, 37 

Grafton 277 

Granny Creek 116 

Grant County 141 

Grantsville 125 

Grass Run (Ritchie) 268 

Grass Run 139 

Grassy Creek 304 

Grassy Mt 224 

Grave Creek 190 

Great Flat Top Mt 184 

Great Kanawha River 168 

Great North Mt 150 

Green Mt 279 

Greenbrier County 145 

Greenbrier River 146 

Greenland Gap 142 

Greens Run 250 

Griffith, Edwd. M 363 

Grogg, J. H 299 

Groomer Creek 210 

Grosbeak 232 

Guano Creek 253 



INDEX 



471 



PAGE. 



Gum: 

Black (Nyssa sylvatiCa) 417 

Sweet (Liquidam'bar styraci- 

fluqL) 402 

Guyanadot River 122, 256, 318 

Guyandotte 122 

Guyan Creek 122 

H. 

Hackberry (Celtis occidentaUs) 398 

Hackers Creek 159, 174 

Hackers VaUey 304 

Halltown 167 

Hall's Mill 107 

Hambleton 279 

Hamlin 178 

Hampshire County 150 

Hancock County 154 

Hancock Sta 214 

Handles 434 

Hanover 320 

Hardman, M. & Co 131 

Hardy County 155 

Hardwood Lumber Co 306 

Hares 231 

Harmon Creek 120 

Harpers Perry 167 

Harriman 202 

Harrison County 159 

Harrisville 268 

Hastings, J. M. Lumber Co. . . . 311 
Haw, Black iVihurnum pruni- 

foUum) 422 

Hawes, Austin P. 356 

Hawk 232 

Hawks Nest 135 

Hayes, Geo. E 287 

Haymond's History of Harrison 

County 160 

Health, The Forest in relation 

to 36 

Heaton's Mill 269 

Helvetia 266 

Hemlock ( Tsug a Canadensis) . . 375 

Hench, Dromjold & Shull 202 



PAGE. 



Henderson, Alex 178 

Henderson Lumber Co 149 

Hendricks 280 

Hennen, Robt. P 208 

Henry 143 

Hercules Club (Aralia spinosa) 417 

Hewitt Creek 112 

Hicks, Capt. Wm 163 

Hickory: 

Big Bud (Hicoria alia) 380 

Big Shellbark (Hicoria laci- 

niosa) 380 

Pignut (Hicoria glabra) .... 381 
Shellbark {Hicoria ovata) . . 379 
Swamp {Hicoria minima) . . 378 

Hill, Julian 114 

Hillsboro 240 

Himmelrick Lumber Co 266 

Hinkle, Abram 297 

Hinkle & Co. 252 

Hinton 273 

Hirst, E. C 341 

History of Lumber Industry . . 58 

Hodam Creek 304 

Hoffman, J. G. & Sons 223 

Hodge, Wm. C 326 

Holden 182 

Holden, W. J 141 

Holland, J. W 208 

Hollen, W. P 297 

Hollister, Walter 305 

Holly {Ilex opaca) 410 

Holly Grove 298 

Holly Lumber Co 117, 265 

Holly River 116, 304 

Holmes, J. S ✓ 347 

Hominy Creek 218 

Honey Locust {Gleditsia tria- 

cantJios) 409 

Honsocker Knob 309 

Hopkins, Dr. A. D 87 

Hornbeam (Carpinus caroUn- 

iana) ' 384 

Hornbeam, Hop {Ostrya Yir- 

giniana) 384 

Horse Creek 112 



472 



INDEX 



PAGE. 



Horseneck Creek 234 

Horsepen Fork 203 

Horseshoe 282 

Horseshoe Run 279 

Horton 226 

Hosterman 246 

Hotchkiss, Maj 284 

Houghton's Mill 297 

Howards Creek 146 

Howard, Wm. G 121 

Huff Mt 179, 318 

Huff, W. D 219 

Huffman, J. R 172, 218, 306 

Hughes River 267 

Hugil Mill 269 

Hunter sville 246 

Hunting 38 

Huntington 123 

Hurricane Creek 253 

Hurricane Creek (Wayne) 301 

Hurst, J. G 167 

Hutchinson Lumber Co 204 

I. 

laeger, Dr. W. R 187 

Impounding of Water 25 

Indiana 329 

Indian Creek 206 

Indian Ridge 184 

Indirect Value of Forests 21 

Injuries to Roots of Trees 79 

Insect Enemies of Forests .... 87 

Interstate Cooperage Co 118 

Interstate Lumber Co. 259 

Ireland 176 

Irrigation 30 

Irwin, Samuel 222 

Irwin, Wm. H 221 

Isaacs Creek 159 

Isherwood & Cody 298 

Island Creek 180, 315 

Island Creek (Mercer) 198 

I^Tdale 130 

Ivy Knob 257 



J, 

PAGE. 

Jacksonburg 311 

Jackson County 161 

Jackson's Mill 297 

Jacob Tome Institute 131 

James, J. C 273 

James River 10, 210 

Jefferson County 166 

Jenkins & Cochran 299 

Jennings 118 

Jenningston Lumber Co 266 

Jenny Creek 186, 203 

Joe Creek 112 

Johnston, A. S 213 

Johnson, Geo. W 208 

Johnsoicj Knob 169 

Jones Creek 159 

Jones & Haines 235 

Jonestown 235 

Judy, E. L 144 

Juneberry (Amelanchier Cana- 
densis) 405 

K. 

Kanawha County 168 

Kanawha Falls 9 

Kanawha & Michigan R. R 64 

Kansas 331 

Kates Mt 210 

Keeney Mt. 273 

Kelly Creek 169, 210 

Kendall-Deter Lumber Co 149 

Kennison, Chas. & Jacob 240 

Kentucky 334 

Kiah Creek 180 

Kincheloe Creek 174 

Kings Creek 154 

King Knob 267 

Kittanning Lumber Co 149 

Kittle's Mill 107 

Kline Gap 142 

Knabb, A. & Co 213 

Knapps Creek 238 

Knawls Creek 116 

Knight 232 



INDEX 



473 



PAGE. 



Knight Lumber Co 114 

Knobly Mts 201 

L. 

Lambert Run 159 

Lamp Mill 235 

Lankey Mt. 224 

Larch (Larix Americana) 372 

Latin, Chas 178 

Laurel Creek (Braxton) 116 

Laurel Creek (Fayette) 135 

Laurel Creek (Mercer) 198 

Laurel Creek (Calhoun) 124 

Laurel Creek (Boone) 112 

Laurel Run (Pocahontas) 238 

Laurel Ridge 106 

Laurel River Lumber Co 265 

Leading Creek (Randolph) ... 263 

Leading Creek (Gilmer) 139 

Leading Creek (Calhoun) 124 

Leaf Spots 78 

Leatherbark Creek 268 

Leatherwood Creek (Webster) . 304 

Leatherwood Creek (Mingo) ... 203 

Leatherwood Creek (Clay) 127 

Leatherwood Lumber Co 131 

Lee Creek 312 

Lemming 231 

Letart Falls 194 

Lewis County 174 

Lewis, C. C 131 

Lewis, C. P 211 

Lewis, Virgil A 195 

Lewis, W. S 131 

Life Zones 13 

Liggett, Aaron 297 

Liggett's Mill 269 

Lick Creek 112 

Limestone Mt 279 

Lincoln County 176 

Linden 416 

Little Bingamon 189 

Little Blackwater River 280 

Little Buffalo Creek 116 

Little Bush Run 298 



PAGE. 



Little Coal River 112 

Little Creek 189 

Little Gauley Mt 168 

Little Hurricane Creek 253 

Little Kanawha Log & Tie Co. 140 
Little Kanawha Lumber Co.l82, 204 
Little Kanawha River .... 116, 139 

Little Laurel Creek 131 ^ 

Little Mt. 210, 224 

Little North Mt 109 

Little Otter Creek 116 

Little Sycamore Creek 127 

Locke Mill 235 

Locks and Dams 27 

Locust Borer 92 

Locust Creek 238 

Locust Knob 139 

Locust, Yellow (Rohinia pseu- 

dacacia) 409 

Logan County 179 

Long Ridge . 224 

Longpole Creek 187 

Longpole Lumber Co 187 

Lookout Stations 334 

Loop Creek 135 

Lorton Lick Creek 198 

Lost City 158 

Lost Creek 159 

Lost River 156 

Lost Run 276 

Loudensville 192 

Loudenslager's Mill 192 

Lowndes, R. T 161, 175 

Lowther & Fleming 141 

Lull, G. B 325 

Lumber Industry. Extent in U. 

S 19 

Lumber Industry in W. Va. 20, 57 

Lunice Creek 142 

Lydick's Mill 192 

Lynncamp Run 267 

Lynx 231 

Lyons StaA^e Co 124 



474 



INDEX 



M. 

PAGE. 



McCardle's Mill 192 

McClure, Tyson & Irvin 265 

McClure's Tan Yard 223 

McComas, Bowen & Co 303 

McConnell Bros 192 

McConnell's Tan Yard ........ 222 

McConaughey & Co 314 

McCoy's Mill 107 

McCoy Lumber Co 313 

McCulloch, John 193 

McCullough, Wm. H 215 

McDonald Glade 286 

McDowell County 183 

McElroy Creek 132, 291 

McParlan Creek 268 

McFarland, J. H 45 

McGee, Wm 121 

McGowans Mt 279 

McGregor's Mill 269 

McKim Creek 233 

McKinsey, J. R 187 

McNeil, John 240 

Mabie-McClure Lumber Co. ... 265 

Macomber, C. R. 286 

Madison 112 

Maggoty Run 192 

Magnolia, Mountain (Magnolia 

Fraseri) 400 

Maine 334 

Malone's Mill 269 

Mammals in Forests 41, 74 

Manley & Frailkill 172 

Maple : 

Ash-leaved (Acer Negundo) . 414 

Black (Acer nigrum) 413 

Mountain (Acer spicatum)... 411 

Scarlet (Acer rudrum) .... 414 

Silver (Acer saccTiarinum) . . 413 
Striped (Acer Pennsylvani- 

cum) 412 

Sugar (Acer saccharum) .... 412 

Marietta Chair Co 313 

Marietta River 290 

Marion County 188 

Marlington 239 



PAGE. 



Marple Bros 219 

Marrowbone Creek 203 

Marsh Lumber Co 259 

Marshall County 190 

Martin, Joseph 59 

Maryland 335 

Mason County 193 

Mason and Dixon Line 6 

Mastin, W. A 147 

Maxwell, Hu 282 

Maxwell, Rufus 286 

Maxwell's Mill 107 

Maysville 143 

Mead & Speer Co 118 

Meadow River 135 

Mearns, Wm 297 

Meathouse Fork 133 

Mercer County 197 

Michigan 337 

Mick, W. E. & Sons 175 

Middlebourne 289 

Middle Fork River 108 

Middle Island Creek 233, 288 

Middle Mt 145 

Middle Mt. (Pendleton) 224 

Mildews 84 

Miller, D. M 313 

Miller, D. G 126 

Miller, Jas. H 274 

Mill Cre6k (Wayne) 301 

Mill Creek (Berkeley) 109 

Mill Creek (Braxton) 116 

Mill Creek (Jackson) 161 

Mill Creek Mt. ISa 

Millpoint 240 

Millspaugh, Dr. C. F 81 

Millwood 161 

Milton 123 

Minear Run 279 

Mineral County 20a 

Mingo 264 

Mingo County 203 

Mistletoe 86 

Mitchell & Good 133 

Mitchell, T. M 117 

Moatsville lOT 



INDEX 



475 



PAGE. 

Moffett, Thos 222 

Mohler Lumber Co 114 

Moles 231 

Monongahela River 28 

Monongalia County 206 

Monroe County 209 

Moore, Jno. T 130 

Moore, J. B. & Sons 265 

Moore, Keppel & Co. 265 

Moore, Robt. T 121 

Morgan County 213 

Morgantown 208 

Morgantown & Kingwood R. R. 65 

Morgan Run 207 

Morgan, Zedekiah 297 

Morton, O. P 225 

Moser Knob 224 

Moulton Lumber Co 306 

Moundsville 192 

Mountain Creek 198 

Mountain Section of W. Va. ... 8 

Mouse 232, 248 

Mud River 122, 177 

Mud Lick Run 156 

Muddlety Creek 217 

Muddy Creek 250 

Muddy Creek Mt 146 

Muddy Run 291 

Mulberry (Morus rubra) 398 

Mule Knob 124 

Municipal Water Supply 31 

Murray, Elijah 163 

Murrayville 161 

N. 

Natural Lakes 11 

Natural Scenery 38 

Navigable Rivers 11, 26, 28 

Neal Run 316 

Nebbo Mill 269 

Neola Lumber Co 149 

Nettle Run 310 

New Creek Mt 142, 210 

New Hampshire 339 

New Jersey 341 



PAGE. 

New Martinsville 310 

New River 135 

New River Gorge 135 

New York 344 

Newlon 298 

Newman & Spanner 320 

Nicholas County 217 

Nicholas Bros 235 

Nicola Mill 107 

Nicolette Lumber Co 317 

Ninemile Creek 122 

Ninemile Creek (Mason) 193 

Non-agricultural Land 49 

Norfolk & Western R. R 64 

North Br. of Potomac 142 

North Carolina 347 

North Fork Mt 224 

North Mt 7, 111 

North River 151 

Norwood 186 

Norwood Lumber Co ±87 

Nuthatch 232 

Nuts, Injuries by Insects 94 

Nuttall, L. W SI 



Oak: 

Black (Quercus velutina) . . 390 
Burr (Quercus macrocarpa) 394 
Chestnut (Quercus Prinus) . . 395 

Pin (Quercus palustris) 389 

Post (Quercus minor) 393 

Red (Quercus rutra) 3S9 

Scarlet (Quercus coccinea) . . 390 

Scrub (Quercus nana) 391 

Shingle (Quercus im'bricaria) 392 
Swamp Spanish (Quercus pa- 

godaefolia) 391 

Swamp White (Quercus Plat- 

onoides) 395 

White (Quercus alda) 393 

Yellow (Quercus acuminata) 896 

Oak Timber Worm 91 

O'Brien Creek 130 

Ohio 350 



476 



INDEX 



PAGE. 

Ohio County 220 

Ohio Falls Car Co 319 

Ohio River 300 

Ohio River Section 8 

Ohio Valley Bending Co 126 

Oil Creek 116 

Okeeffe 205 

Old Lick Creek 304 

Oldtown Creek 193 

Ona 123 

Opequon Creek 109 

Organisms of Decay 71 

Orlando 176 

Orr, Maj. U. N 252 

Otter Creek (Tucker) 279 

Otter Creek Boom & Lumber Co. 287 

Otterslide Creek 268 

Owensport 126 

Owls 282, 249 

Owlshead 289 

Oxley Stave Co 302 

P. 

Paint Creek 169, 260 

Painter, J. C. & Bro 277 

Pancake, I. H. C 152 

Panther Creek 184 

Panther Fork 298 

Panther Knob 224 

Panther Lumber Co 186 

Pardee & Curtin Lumber Co. 

117, 219 

Paris, J. M 246 

Parker sburg 315 

Parkersburg Mill Co 313, 316 

Parsons 279 

Parsons, Geo. M 286 

Parsons, Jas 282 

Parsons Lumber Co 303 

Parsons Pulp & Lumber Co. 143, 226 

Parsons, Thos, 282 

Patterson Creek 142 

Patterson Creek Mt 155 

Paulhamus, John & Son 118 

Paulhamus & Moon 310 



PAGE. 

Paw Paw 216 

Pawpaw (Asimina triloM) ... 401 

Pawpaw Creek 189 

Pecks Run 107, 294 

Peebles, Patrick 297 

Peeltree 107 

Peerless Lumber Co 192 

Pemberton . , 260 

Pendleton County 223 

Pennsboro 269 

Pennsylvania 353 

Pentress 206 

Perley & Crockett 265 

Perry, A. A 252 

Persimmon {Diospyros Yirgini- 

ana) 419 

Peters Creek 217 

Peters Mt 6, 209 

Petersburg Gap 142 

Peterstown 142 

Petroleum 269 

Peytona 113 

Peytona Lumber Co 114 

Pheasant Mt. 279 

Philippi 108 

Phillips Bros 299 

Phillips, B. W 297 

Pickenpaugh, Thornton 208 

Pickle Mt 224 

Pigeon Creek 203 

Pigeon Roost 144 

Pilot Knob 127 

Pine: 

Pitch {Finns rigida) 369 

Scrub (Pinus Yirginiana) ... 371 
Table Mountain {Pinus pun- 
gens) 372 

White {Pinus strohus) 368 

Yellow {Pinus ecTiinata) .... 370 

Pine Knob 174 

Pine Run 125 

Piney Fork 309 

Piney River 257 

Pinnacle Creek 318 

Pinnacle Knob 201 

Pitsburg Stave Co 310 



INDEX 



477 



PAGE. 

Plant Food of Trees 72 

Planting 104 

Pleasants County 232 

Plums 406 

Poca 254 

Pocahontas County 236 

Pocatalico River 11, 253 

Point Pleasant 193 

Polk Creek 174 

Pollution of Water 31 

Pond Creek 162 

Pond Fork 112 

Pond Ridge 224 

Poplar (Populus grandidentata) 382 
Poplar, Yellow {Liriodendron 

tulipifera) 401 

Portable Saw Mills 60 

Porter 131 

Porters Creek 127 

Porter, David 178 

Poston Stave Co 255 

Potomac River 109 

Potomac Section of W. Va 8 

Potts Creek 210 

Potts Mt. 210 

Powellton Creek 135 

Prendergast Lumber Co 205 

Preston County 249 

Pretty Ridge 224 

Prevention of Forest Fires .... 55 

Price, Edwd 208 

Price, Wm. T 247 

Prickett Creek 189 

Prince 260 

Pringle, John & Saml 282, 296 

Pringle Run 250 

Pringle's Mill 297 

Pritchard & Lewis 178 

Protective Structure of Trees.. 68 

Purgatory Run 291 

Putnam County 253 

Q. 

Quarry Run 207 



Quaking Asp (Populus trem- 



PAGE. 



uloides) 381 

R. 

Raccoon 231 

Railroads 61 

Rainfall in W. Va 23 

Raleigh County 256 

Raleigh Lumber Co 259 

Raleman Mt 224 

Randolph County 261 

Ravenrock 233 

Ravenswood 161 

Rawling, Capt. C. J 221 

Raymond City 225 

Recommendations 4G2 

Recreation 37 

Redbud (Cercis Canadensis) . . 408 

Redhouse 254 

Reedsville 250 

Reedy Creek 271, 312 

Reservoirs 25, 40, 291 

Rettig, Geo. 313 

Reynolds, Wm. C 113 

Rich Creek 180 

Rich Creek (Mercer) 198 

Rich Mt 262 

Richwood 219 

Ring, Edgar E 334 

Ripley 163 

Ritchie County 267 

Ritter, C. L. Lbr. Co 131, 186 

Ritter, W. M. Lbr. Co 186, 259 

River Commerce 28 

Rivers, Fall of 12 

Rives, Wm. C 285 

Roane County 270 

Roanoke 176 

Roaring Plains 102, 263, 266 

Robinson Run 206 

Robinson, S. 1 309 

Rock Camp Branch 127 

Rockcamp Run 267 

Rock Creek 112 

Rocklick 190 

Roderfield 187 



478 



INDEX 



PAGE. 



Ronceverte 149 

Rose Chafer 93 

Roth, Filibert 338 

Roughs of Guyandot 9, 318 

Rowan, Jno. L 213 

Rowlesburg 252 

Rowlesburg Lumber & Iron Co. 287 

Rum Creek 180 

Rush Knob 174 

Rush Run 174 

Rusts on Tree Leaves 77 

S. 

Sago 293 

St. Albans 259 

St. George 280 

St. Lawrence Boom & Mfg. Co. . 149 

St. Marys 233 

Saltblock Run 250 

Saltlick Creek 250 

Salt Lick Fork 116 

Sancho Creek 291 

Sand Fork 139 

Sander's Mill 120 

Sandy Creek 161 

Sandy Huff Creek 186 

Sandy Ridge 150, 184 

Sassafras 402 

Sash Saw Mills 59 

Sattes 114 

Saw Mill Types 57 

Saw Mills, List of 443 

Scott, A. C 333 

Scott, A. M 171 

Scott, W. E. D 169 

Scott Run 206 

Second Creek 210 

Secrest, Edmund 351 

Seneca Creek 228 

Sennett's Mill 269 

Serena 130 

Service Tree {AmelancMer 

Canadensis) 405 

Sevenmile Creek 122 

Sewage Disposal 34 



PAGE. 

Shadle & Auchmuty 131 

Shafer, Louis 126 

Shaffer, Martin L 252 

Shannon Branches 186 

Shavers Mt. 262 

Shaw 202 

Sheepberry 421 

Sheldon, Dr. John L 81 

Shenandoah River 166 

Shenandoah Valley 8 

Shinns Run 159 

Shipley, Louis 216 

Shisler, John 208 

Short Creek 112, 221 

Short Mt 153 

Shortpole Creek 187 

Shrews 231, 249 

Shriver Run 291 

Shrubs, List of 422 

Shuttlesworth's Mill 107 

Sidwell, John & Henry 208 

Silver Bell Tree (Mohroden- 

dron CaroUnum) 419 

Simmons Mt 224 

Simpson Creek 159 

Simpson, John 282 

Sinking Creek (Gilmer) 139 

Sinking Creek (Greenbrier) . . 147 

Sinking Lick Creek 210 

Sinks Grove 211 

Sitlington Creek 238 

Sixteenmile Creek 193 

Slaty Fork 238 

Sleepy Creek 214 

Sleepy Creek Mt 109 

Sliding Hill Creek 193 

Smiley, John 264 

Smith Bros 118 

Smith & Gilligan 306 

Smithers Creek 135 

Smoke and Gas 74 

Smoke Hole Section 145 

Smoot Lumber Co= 299, 306 

Snowy Mt 224 

Sour wood {Oxydehdrum arbo- 

reum) 418 



INDEX 



479 



PAGE, 

South Br. Mt 150 

South Br. of Potomac 142 

Southern Pine Beetle 89, 285 

Spanishburg 199 

Spencer 272 

Sphagnum Moss 248 

Spice Creek 186 

Spread Shoal Creek 131 

Spring Creek 271 

Spruce (Picea rudens) 373 

Spruce Bark Beetle 90 

Spruce Creek 268 

Spruce Pork of Coal River 112 

Spruce Knob 227 

Spruce Mt 224 

Squirrels , . 231 

Stamping Creek 238 

Standard Oil Co 275 

Standing Rock Run 131 

Standingstone Creek 312 

State Forestry Officers 365 

State Road Run 309 

Steer Creek 116, 125 

Stephenson, Samuel 130, 172 

Stewart Creek 139 

Stillman 297 

Stockert, G. P 298 

Stonecoal Creek 174 

Stonecoal Creek (Upshur) 295 

Stony Creek ! . 116 

Stony River 142 

Storms, Diseases induced by . . . 73 

Stouts Mills 107 

Straight Creek 305 

Strange Creek 218 

Strouds Creek 304 

Suddeth & Bailey 186 

Suddeth, E. H. Lumber Co 320 

Sugar Creek 233 

Sugar Knob 174 

Sumach (Rhus hirta) 410 

Summers County 273 

Summers, Geo. W 128 

Surveyor 260 

Sutton ir 

Swago Creek 238 



PAGE. 

Swamp Sparrow 249 

Sweedlin Hill 224 

Sweet Spring Creek 210 

Swiss 219 

Swopes Knobs 210 

Sycamore (Platanus occiden- 

talis) 403 

Sycamore Creek 125 

T. 

Table Rock 169 

Tabler Station m 

Talcott 273 

Tamarack 372 

Tanner Creek 139 

Tate Creek 116 

Tavebaugh Creek 189 

Taylor County 276 

Teays Valley 253 

Tenmile 298 

Tenmile Creek 159 

Terra Alta 249 

Teter's Mill 107 

Third Hill 109 

Thomas 285 

Thompson, Wm 113 

Thompson Lumber Co 287 

Thorny Creek 238 

Thorn {Crataegus Crus-galli) . . 405 
Thorn (Crataegus punctata)... 406 
Thorn (Crataegus cordata) ... 406 

Tidewater Oil Co 131 

Timber Pamine 17 

Timber Ridge 224 

Timber Stand in W. Va 101 

Tomlinson Creek 154 

Tony Creek 112 

Town Mt 224 

Tract Hill 224 

Transition Life Zone 14 

Travelers Repose 240 

Trough 156 

Trout Valley 147 

Tucker County 278 

Tucker Creek 312 



480 



INDEX 



PAGE. 

Tug Fork 184, 203 

Turkey Creek 305 

Turkey Run 294 

Turtle Creek 112 

Tuscarora Creek 109 

Twelvemile Creek 198 

Twelvepole Creek 301 

Twentymile Creek 217 

Twolick Creek 159 

Tygart Creek 316 

Tygart River Lumber Co 265 

Tygart Valley River 106, 238 

Tyler County 288 

U. 

Umbrella-tree (Magnolia tripe- 

tala) 399 

United Lumber Co 265 

United States Coal & Oil Co.. . . 182 

Upper Bowman Run 192 

Upper Tract 226 

Upshur County 293 

Utility of Forests 17 

V. 

Valley Falls 9 

Valley Head 264 

Van Horn Mill 114 

Vaughan 219 

Veery - ^. 232 

Vehicles 433 

Vermont 356 

Vinson, Goble «5; Pritchard 123 

Viquesney, J. A 55 

Virgin Forest: 

Original Area 98 

Present Area 100 

Virginian Railroad 65 

Vockler's Tan Yard 223 

W. 

Waggy & Gorrell 131 

Waggy, Henry 118 



PAGE. 

Waineville 304 

Walker, J. S. Lumber Co 205 

Walkersville 176 

Wallace, Jno. H. 323 

Walnut: 

Black (Juglans nigra) 378 

White (Juglans cinerea) .... 377 

Warblers 232 

Wardensville 156 

Warm Springs Run 214 

Warn Lumber Co. (Illustration) 76 

Washington 353 

Washington, Bushrod 214 

Washington, George ..152, 194, 214 

Water Resources 23 

Water, Relation to Tree Dis- 
eases 72 

Water Supply 2I 

Waterpower 24 

Watson Co 202 

Waugh, Lieut 244 

Waugh's Mill 120 

Wayne 3 01 

Wayne County 300 

Webster County 304 

Webster Lumber Co 306 

Webster Springs 304 

Welch 186 

Welch Bros 287 

Welch Glades 304 

Wellsburg 120 

Welton, C. B 158 

Welton, F. B 157 

Welty, J. R 360 

West Creek 193 

West Fork River 159, 174 

Weston 176 

Western Maryland R. R 64 

West Va. & Pittsburg R. R 61 

West Va. Pulp & Paper Co 104 

West Virginia. 

Drainage of 10 

Date of Admission 6 

Elevations 10 

Location and Area 6 

Native Trees of ■ 367 



INDEX 



481 



PAGE. 



As a Natural Forest Region . . 13 

Original Forest Area of 15 

Progress of Forestry in 360 

Railroads in 61 

River Commerce of 26 

Studies of Fungi in 81 

Topography of 7 

Westerman, A. F 277 

West Fork Lumber Co 313 

Wetzel County 308 

Wheat's Tan Yard 223 

Wheeling Creek 220 

Wheeling Hill 223 

Wheeler Lumber Co 265 

Whetstone Creek 131 

Whip Saw, Description of 57 

Whipple, Jas. S 346 

Whiting, S. F 140 

White Oak 393 

White Oak Creek 112, 268 

White Oak Mt. 257 

White Pine in Greenbrier Co.. 146 

White Rock Mt 210 

Whites Creek 301 

White Sulphur Springs 148 

Whitman Flats 263 

Wick 289 

Wickwire Run 276 

Wide Mouth Creek 198 

Wilderness, The 247 

Wiley, Samuel T 208 

William 287 

William James Son's Co 199 

Williams, A. D 239 

Williams, L. C 219 

Williamson, W. J 204 

Williams River 238 

Willi amsport 143 

Willow, Black (Salix nigra), .. 383 

Wilson 143 

Wilson, Dunlevy & Co 222 

Wilson & Lyons 124 

Wilson's Mill 297 



Wilsonia 143 

Winchester, A. H. 264 

Winchester & Craddock 298 

Winding Gulf Creek 257 

Winfield 253 

Wingrove's Mill 297 

Wirt County 312 

Wisconsin 362 

Witch Hazel {Hamamelis Vir- 

giniana) 403 

Wither's Border Warfare 282 

Withers & Lorentz 140 

Withers & Vandevender . . 126, 314 

Wolf Creek (Braxton) 116 

Wolf Creek (Monroe) 210 

Wolf Creek (Mercer) 198 

Wolf Creek (Preston 250 

Wolf Creek (Fayette) 135 

Wolf Creek Mt 210 

Wood County '. . 315 

Wood Consumed in U. S 18 

Wood Consumed in W. Va. ... 18 

Wood Industries 430 

Wood Mfg. Establishments ... 437 

Wood, Necessity for 17 

Wood, Substitutes for 18 

Wood. R. E. Lumber Co.... 186, 320 

Woodlot Areas 100, 102 

Woodruff's Mill 172 

Woods, Edward 264 

Wren 232 

Wyant & Brannon 140 

Wyoming City 187 

Wyoming County 318 

Wyoming Lumber Co 265 

Y. 

Yankeedam 131 

Yellow Creek 124 

Yellow Poplar 401 

Yellow Poplar Lumber Co.. 203, 319 
Youghiogheny River 250 



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